Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Well, Canadian wildfire smoke has returned much of the state, seeing hazy skies and reduced air
00:05quality for the northern part of the state. Meanwhile, temperatures are warming up and
00:08the heat ends with thunderstorms Monday night into Tuesday.
00:21So nasty, hazy smoke in the air here. The dirty gray is that wildfire smoke filtering in the
00:29brighter whites. That's actual cloud cover. So what you're seeing is just smoke. The sky is pretty
00:34much crystal clear across the state, but that smoke is what is blocking or filtering the sun in
00:40times. I showed you yesterday numerous fires throughout much of Canada already. It is a bad
00:45start to the season there, and it's because they're seeing drought and above normal temperatures here.
00:50Much of central and western Canada below normal for rainfall and pockets of drought, and it lines up
00:56kind of perfectly with where those fires are. The orange areas are areas that are seeing at least
01:00moderate drought already, and that is causing those fires to burn. And in Canada, they don't try to put
01:06out the fires because they're so remote. They let them burn. So it might be a long season here.
01:10The models showing that smoke drifting in on and off, at least in the short term, the next few days,
01:15expect hazy skies and potentially reduced air quality even in southern Minnesota at times. But for the time
01:21being, air quality alert for northeastern Minnesota today, northwestern Minnesota tomorrow, expected to
01:26get into the red category, which is unhealthy for everybody in northwestern Minnesota on Saturday.
01:32And it'll make some pretty sunrises and sunsets, but it is not good, of course, otherwise. Temperatures
01:38should reach close to 80 today, into the 80s tomorrow. But one thing we're going to have to watch is this
01:43thick smoke does act like cloud cover. It might cost us a few degrees on temperatures. So that's one thing
01:48we'll monitor. But upper 80s, some 90 degree readings to the west on Sunday, and then a shot
01:53at 90 here in the Twin Cities and much of the state on Monday before we see some storms. We'll see a
01:59pattern shift. Thunderstorms develop in western Minnesota late Monday. So we have that upper
02:04level ridge that's high pressure, essentially, big heat dome kind of moving in for a couple of days.
02:09This is Sunday into Monday. And then a big trough develops once again. That's cool air aloft,
02:14creating instability and pushing the moisture north ahead of it. And that will allow for storms to
02:19develop. So a dry heat this weekend. We're not talking about the heat advisors, excessive heat
02:24warnings. But by Tuesday, dew points do increase into the 60s. So sufficient moisture to help produce some
02:29showers and thunderstorms. And then those dew points will drop Wednesday as we get into some cooler air
02:33again. But as far as severe weather goes, we're going to see storms develop in South Dakota, western
02:37Minnesota late Monday. And then we'll see the leftovers Monday night into Tuesday. Looks like the severe
02:42threat for eastern Minnesota will be minimal or non-existent because of just the timing here.
02:48We'll see showers and storms much of the day Tuesday. That'll prevent really severe weather. So
02:52the risk is really Monday into Monday night for west central Minnesota into South Dakota and western
02:57Nebraska. And then Tuesday, mostly just showers and thunderstorms, garden variety moving through.
03:03And then we'll be in a cooler pattern. A little bit of a trough here in the upper levels, which means
03:07some slightly cooler air. But actually, seasonable temperatures Wednesday, Thursday,
03:11mostly back into the 70s with that drop in humidity. Still some lingering clouds Wednesday,
03:17but should see more sunshine break back out again by Thursday. So 81 today, but don't be surprised if
03:24we only make it into the mid to upper 70s. We'll have to watch how that smoke does affect the
03:28temperatures. 83 tomorrow, still smoky skies, probably Saturday and Sunday. Warming up though,
03:3590 Monday. If we can get rid of the smoke though, those temperatures could be warmer both Sunday and
03:40Monday. And then Tuesday, the showers and thunderstorms push through. Cooler, more comfortable
03:44behind it. Back into the 70s with cooler overnights. Tuesday and Wednesday nights too, back into the 50s.