>> Cathy: COMING UP IN THE NEXT HOUR WE'LL HEAR ABOUT AN AMBITIOUS PLAN TO CURB HUNGER IN MINNESOTA, A BIPARTISAN GROUP OF LAWMAKERS HAS SOME IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE MET COUNCIL AND WE HAVE SOME LIVE GOSPEL MUSIC FOR YOU IN THE OLD STUDIO FOR YOU TONIGHT.

>> Eric: WE START WITH THIS WEEK'S HISTORIC WARM WEATHER.

ON WEDNESDAY AMONG THE HIGH TEMP RECORDS SHATTERED ACROSS THE STATE, THE TWIN CITIES AT 55 DEGREES.

IT WAS 53 AT INTERNATIONAL FALLS AND CANBY, MINNESOTA, RECORDED THE HIGHEST STATEWIDE 31ST, 61 DEGREES.

THROW IN THE LACK OF SNOW COVER, ONGOING CONCERNS ABOUT AND OUR NEXT GUEST HAS PLENTY TO TALK ABOUT THIS WINTER.

LONGTIME METEOROLOGIST AND CLIMATOLOGIST AT AT THE U.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

>> WELL, THE TWO MAIN REASONS, ERIC, ARE CLIMATE CHANGE.

WE'VE BEEN MONITORING, ESPECIALLY WE KNOW THE SIGNAL WITH RESPECT TO TEMPERATURE CHANGE IS STRONGEST IN THE WINTER SEASON.

SOME INDIVIDUAL MONTHS HAVE WARMED OVER OUR LIFETIME BY 5 TO 6-DEGREES, WHICH IS HUGE.

THAT USED TO TAKE HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF YEARS TO SEE THAT HAPPEN.

AND THEN AMPLIFIED BY A PRETTY STRONG EL NINO EPISODE.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO PARTITION OUT THE DRIVERS BETWEEN THOSE TWO IS TOUGH, T'S NOT 50/50, I KIND OF TEND TO THINK IT'S MORE CLIMATE CHANGE AND THEN HELPED BY EL NINO.

BUT IT'S DEFINITELY WE HAVE A VERY STRONG PROBABILITY THAT BY THE TIME WE GET THROUGH THIS MONTH, THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, WE WILL HAVE RECORDED THE WARMEST METEORLOGICAL WINTER IN STATE HISTORY.

>> Cathy: OW, THE WARMEST AT THIS POINT IS 18 # 77, RIGHT?

>> THAT WAS FROM STATE RECORDS, THAT'S CORRECT, CATHY, FOR THE TWIN CITIES.

AND THE STATEWIDE RECORD I'M ALMOST 100% CERTAIN WE'RE GOING TO BE THE TWIN CITIES RECORD FROM 1877, 1878, WE MAY BEAT AS WELL.

WE'LL SEE.

SO FAR THE LONG RANGE CLIMATE PREDICTION FOR FEBRUARY IS THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH WE'RE GOING TO AVERAGE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 13 AND 16-DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL.

THAT'S GOING TO BE HARD O OFFSET THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH IF WE DO GO COLD.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW, WE WERE TALKING, KENNY BLUMENFELD IS OUR FRIEND HERE, GOOD FRIEND OF COURSE AS YOU KNOW, GREAT CLIMATOLOGIST, HE WAS TALKING ABOUT OF THE PAST 63 DAYS 53 HAVE BEEN WARMER THAN NORMAL AND HE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE PERSISTENCE OF THE WARMTH BEING SO UNUSUAL.

>> IT IS.

>> Cathy: WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THIS WOULD NOBODY THE SUMMERTIME?

I WONDER WHAT KIND OF SOUP WE'D BE IN.

>> IT WOULD BE PRETTY UNBEARABLE.

WE WOULD BE -- I MEAN, OKAY, OUR AVERAGE JULY HIGH TEMPERATURE IS 84-DEGREES.

THAT'S AVERAGE.

THE DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL WE'VE BEEN SEEING THIS WEEK HAVE BEEN FROM 25 TO 30 DEGREES WARMER THAN THAT.

SO THAT JUST PUTS US OFF THE CHARTS.

YOU KNOW, THAT PUTS US BETWEEN 110 AND 120 DEGREES.

SO, BUT, AGAIN, I WOULD SAY THAT THE CLIMATE CHARACTERISTIC IN OUR STATE IS WITH CLIMATE CHANGE PUSHING US UPWARD IN THE TEMPERATURE REGIME, WE'RE MORE STEEPLY UPWARD IN THE WINTER MONTHS, THE SEASON OF LONG NIGHTS, SHORT DAYS, AND WE'RE LESS STEEPLY UPWARD IN THE SUMMER MONTHS.

>> Eric: IS THIS UR FUTURE OR IS THIS A ONE-OFF OR DO WE KNOW?

>> WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE.

THE SCARY THING TO ME IS I'VE BEEN AT THIS ALMOST 50 YEARS NOW.

THE SCARY THING TO ME, ERIC, IS THAT WHEN WE HAVE EXCURSIONS LIKE THIS OF ABNORMAL WEATHER, IT SEEMS TO BE REALLY EXTREME.

CLOSE TO SOMETHING WE'VE NEVER MEASURED BEFORE.

AND IF THE FREQUENCY OF THESE EXTREMES KEEPS COMING AT US, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE -- I MEAN, THERE'S A LIMIT TO HOW MUCH WE CAN ADAPT, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

>> Eric: SURE.

>> Cathy: I'M GOING TO THINK THEN TOO BECAUSE OF THE WARMTH AND NO SNOW COVER UP NORTH EVEN THAT THIS CAN ONLY EXACERBATE THE DROUGHT, RIGHT?

>> YES, WE STILL HAVE 40% OF THE STATE LANDSCAPE IN CARRYOVER DROUGHT FROM LAST YEAR.

SO NOW WE DO NEED -- ONE ASSET, ONE, SHALL WE SAY POSITIVE, WE CAN PUT IN THE POSITIVE COLUMN, IS THE MILD WINTER HAS IF KEPT OUR SOILS VERY SHALLOW FROZEN.

YOU KNOW, OR NOT FROZEN AT ALL.

WE HAVE AREAS OF THE STATE WHERE THE SOILS AREN'T FROZEN RIGHT NOW AT ALL.

SO IF WE DO GET INTO A WINTER REGIME, WE CAN RECHARGE THAT SOIL, WHICH WOULD BE HUGE.

BECAUSE SOMETIMES OUR SOILS DON'T THAW 'TIL APRIL AND ALL THE FROZEN PRECIPITATION ISN'T DOING US ANY GOOD.

>> Eric: IMPACT ON ALLERGIES, TREES, FARMING, DEER, MOOSE?

WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF THIS?

>> WELL, IT'S REALLY COMPLICATED, BUT FROM THE STANDPOINT OF, YOU KNOW, OUR MOOSE POPULATION, OF COURSE THERE'S A LOT OF ATTENTION DIRECTED TO THE NORTHEASTERN MOOSE POPULATION, WHICH HAS BEEN KIND OF IN DECLINE, THE DISEASES, THE DISEASES AND THE CARRIERS OF THOSE DISEASES ARE THINGS THAT ARE MONITORED BY SPECIALISTS.

THAT'S BEYOND MY EXPERTISE, BUT I KNOW THEY RELY ON CERTAIN MORTAL BEING INFLICTED BY THE SEVERITY OF OUR WINTER AND THAT APPLIES TO TREE, INSECT SPECIES, AND A NUMBER OF OTHERS.

WHEN WE HAVE THESE MILD WINTERS WE NEED TO BE ON GUARD FOR THE EARLY SPRING EMERGENCE OF SOME OF THESE THINGS.

>> Eric: GREAT.

THANKS, PROFESSOR.

APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.

>> YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME.

>> Eric: ALWAYS LEARN A LOT WHEN PROFESSOR SEELEY IS