Meteorologists Baffled by 50-Mile Wide Radar Anomaly in Midwest

Meteorologists Baffled by 50-Mile Wide Radar Anomaly in Midwest

On Dec. 10, a mysterious, 50-mile-wide radar anomaly passed from southeastern Illinois into Kentucky, eventually breaking up after lingering in the air for over 10 hours. The National Weather Service (NWS) and local meteorologists were baffled by the stream, asking the public to report on Twitter if they noticed anything visible in the skies.

The strange anomaly appeared around 3 p.m. CST as a blip on NWS doppler radar just south of Olney, IL, before continuing to expand as it moved south through Indiana and across the Kentucky border. The phenomenon was quickly given the hashtag #tristatewx, with speculation ranging from a flock of birds, to secret military operations, or an explosion of material raining down from space.

The most likely explanation though, is a military countermeasure called chaff, developed during WWII to scramble enemy radar. Doppler radar works by measuring the reflectivity of precipitation in the air, so in order to confuse radar the military realized it could release other types of material, including thin aluminum and metallic glass fibers to allow aircraft to travel undetected.

Aside from the questionable nature of chaff – regarding its environmental safety and the general lack in public knowledge of its use – it’s a common occurrence for meteorologists, who are typically forewarned by the military when it’s released.

In this case however, neither the Air Force nor any other branch took responsibility or gave notice to the National Weather Service that it would release chaff.



Weather Modification Technology -- Decades of Ever-Increasing Tempo

Weather Modification Technology — Decades of Ever-Increasing Tempo

Weather Modification Technology – Good Idea or Bad? The Science of Playing God and an Overview of the Technologies

To what extent people are able to control the weather is a bit of a mystery to most. It has been a goal for ages, and perhaps could even be considered the “final frontier” in dominating and controlling Mother Nature. Despite fairly familiar terms such as “cloud seeding,” most believe that controlling the weather on a large scale cannot be done. Control a hurricane? Nonsense! Besides, the idea of controlling the weather with weather modification technology or weather changing machines is a bit alarming to most people. The sheer arrogance of such a proposal has the flavor of “playing God.”

Indeed, even at our technologically advanced state, the inner and outer workings of our planet still hold many mysteries. Have humans really advanced enough to actively manipulate this balance without harming or disrupting the overall planet? Of course, this harmony has been disrupted by climate change, the causes of which continue to spark heated debate. Regardless, with the growing concern over our changing climate, is it possible that weather modification technology could help?

Read Article

More In Secrets & Cover Ups

Our unique blend of yoga, meditation, personal transformation, and alternative healing content is designed for those seeking to not just enhance their physical, spiritual, and intellectual capabilities, but to fuse them in the knowledge that the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts.


Use the same account and membership for TV, desktop, and all mobile devices. Plus you can download videos to your device to watch offline later.

Desktop, laptop, tablet, phone devices with Gaia content on screens

Discover what Gaia has to offer.

The video streaming platform exploring Secrets & Cover Ups, and Conspiracy

Testing message will be here

Discover what Gaia has to offer.

Testing message will be here