Monday, March 26, 2012
Migration in the south
With the migration this spring being so unusual, I wasn't surprised to see a pretty good indication of movement tonight in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri. The two images below show the change in radar returns in the hour right after sundown.
The image above shows the beginning of lift off at sundown. As time goes on the return images become larger and darker. The image below is from about 9 pm CST.
The heaviest movement looks to be in western Arkansas. The weather in Minnesota today was rainy and cold (compared to what it has been) with a high of 42 degrees. Tomorrows predicted high is near 70 degrees. That warm southern flow of air might just carry a whole new batch of migrants into the backyard. I'm hoping to check the radar in the morning to see if it shows any movement into my area. This could be the next wave of really early surprises!
Thank you for your nice example of using the NWR for tracking bird movements. I have used the NWR for many years for travel weather and for tracking extreme weather around the Twin Cities. I was redirected in my use of the NWR by a recent column of Val Cunningham in the StarTrib. I went back to the NWR that day but I think I looked too early in the afternoon and I did not look for the hour-to-hour change that you illustrated. I have a wooded backyard and have been waiting for the samller birds to show up enmasse.
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