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.
What we believe was chaff, released by aircraft this afternoon, has been showing up on radar for the past 10 hours now. Originated south of Olney, IL at 2:50 PM and now is 150 miles SE entering far north TN. pic.twitter.com/BxLQcW2aIh
— NWS Paducah, KY (@NWSPaducah) December 11, 2018
About the Author
HAARP; A U.S. Conspiracy Theory Magnet
In 1993, The US Air Force began construction on a $290 million project that would enable the government’s foremost atmospheric researchers to study the ionosphere — the top layer of the Earth’s atmosphere. The research center, now run by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, is called the High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, and is located in the frozen wilderness of Gakona, Alaska. For a number of reasons, HAARP’s activities have drawn the attention of citizens who are suspicious of the organization’s practices.
Over the years, HAARP has been officially credited with conducting useful and successful research, but because of its highly complex work, officials claim its purpose has been largely misunderstood by detractors. For this reason, it has been ground zero for criticism since its inception.
Situated in the remote wilderness of an already low-population state — purportedly to promote secrecy — HAARP features 360 radio transmitters, 180 antennas, and 5 powerful generators that create geometric patterns in every direction when turned on. The antennas, each a foot thick and stretching 72 feet into the sky, continue to raise eyebrows.
A section of the HAARP antenna field.
Shortly after the facility opened, the public began reporting strange phenomena — not only in the region, but around the world. Activists challenged HAARP’s activities, vocally questioning what the organization was really up to. While the government continues to deny any connection with changes in weather, frequencies of earthquakes, and chemtrails in the skies, it has made deliberate efforts to quell suspicions about the nature of its operations. Yet these are not nearly enough to quiet HAARP’s notable detractors, including former Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez and former Minnesota Governor, Jesse Ventura.
Ventura questioned whether the government was using HAARP to manipulate the weather or overwhelm citizens with mind-controlling radio waves. While the Air Force acknowledged that Ventura had made an official request to visit the research station, he and his crew nevertheless were denied access.
