Isolated Storms Late Thursday - Hot, Sunny Weekend Expected

Image: AirNow

It's been another day of poor air quality, especially across the southern two-thirds of Minnesota into Wisconsin, on Wednesday. This has been due to more Canadian wildfire smoke across the region. For most of the day, the air was considered "Unhealthy" in the Twin Cities, meanwhile, the air was classified as "Very Unhealthy" over toward Madison, WI.

Due to the wildfire smoke and poor air quality at the surface, Air Quality Alerts remain in place through Midnight Wednesday Night across Minnesota, and through Noon Thursday over in Wisconsin.

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As a cold front moves through later in the day Thursday, we could see a few pop-up showers and storms late in the afternoon into the evening hours here in the metro. Otherwise, a mix of sun and clouds are expected. There will continue to be haze up in the sky - especially early in the day - due to wildfire smoke. Morning temperatures start off in the upper 60s with highs in the 80s.

A few scattered storms will be around the state Thursday - mainly in the afternoon and evening - as a cold front moves through. Otherwise, a mix of sun and clouds are expected with highs ranging from the 60s along the North Shore to near 90F in southern Minnesota.

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A toasty weekend is ahead here in the metro with highs in the upper 80s to near 90F. Mainly sunny skies are expected each day at the moment.

As we head into the Independence Day holiday on Tuesday, we will be watching another cold front moving across the state that could bring some atmospheric fireworks in the form of storms. Afternoon highs are expected to be up around 90F, cooling to the upper 70s around the time of firework displays in the evening.

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A Sunny, Smoky and Dry Holiday Weekend
By Paul Douglas

This is what climate change looks like. And it smells like smoke. Fire has always been part of Earth's ecosystem, but warming temperatures are making heatwaves stronger and longer.

Record heat across much of Canada in May dried out vegetation, then lightning ignited hundreds of fires. Data shows the biggest fires are trending even larger and hotter, lasting longer. We are downwind. With apologies to Las Vegas, what happens in Canada doesn't stay in Canada. A warmer future with more freak heatwaves may spell a smokier future for Minnesota. We'll see.

One thing is evident: predicting these plumes of dirty, smoky air more than a day in advance is virtually impossible. "Paul, will it be smoky for the 4th of July?" I wish I knew. Any smoke outlook beyond 24 hours is a hand-waving exercise.

Sunny days prevail into the 4th of July. We may hit 90F Sunday into Tuesday. A few atmospheric firecrackers may go off late Tuesday, but the holiday weekend looks hot, sunny and lake-worthy. With a side salad of thick smoke.

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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

THURSDAY: Smoky, hazy sunshine. Wake up 68. High 88. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind W 8-13 mph.

FRIDAY: Sunny and hot. Wake up 69. High 88. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 8-13 mph.

SATURDAY: Hazy-blue sky, lake-worthy. Wake up 70. High 90. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind NW 8-13 mph.

SUNDAY: Sunny, hot enough. Wake up 71. High 91. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind 10-15 mph.

MONDAY: Sticky sunshine, isolated storm? Wake up 72. High 92. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind SW 5-10 mph.

TUESDAY: Smoking 4th. Late-day T-storm? Wake up 72. High 89. Chance of precipitation 40%. Wind S 8-13 mph.

WEDNESDAY: More numerous showers, T-storms. Wake up 69. High 84. Chance of precipitation 70%. Wind NW 10-15 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
June 29th

*Length Of Day: 15 hours, 34 minutes, and 24 seconds
*Daylight LOST Since Yesterday: 33 seconds

*When Do We Drop Below 15 Hours Of Sunlight? July 24th (14 hours, 59 minutes, 22 seconds)
*When Are Sunrises After 6 AM? August 2nd (6:00 AM)
*Latest Sunsets Of The Year: June 21st-July 2nd (9:03 PM)
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This Day in Weather History
June 29th

1969: Worthington picks up over 6 inches of rain in 24 hours.

1930: Extreme heat develops in Minnesota. Canby got up to a sizzling 110 degrees.

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We'll be watching the chance of storms across parts of the mid-section of the nation on Thursday. These storms could be severe from the Front Range to the Ohio Valley. Storms are also expected in New England with an area of low pressure. Meanwhile, the heat wave continues in the southern United States, with numerous Excessive Heat Warnings in place.

The heaviest areas of rain during the second half of the week will be in parts of the Central Plains and the Northeast, where some areas could see at least 2" of rain fall.

Meanwhile, due to Canadian wildfire smoke, we will continue to see at least Unhealthy air across the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and Northeast on Thursday.

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Canadian wildfire smoke reaches Europe as Canada reports its worst fire season on record

More from CNN: "Canada has officially marked its worst wildfire season on record, with smoke from the blazes crossing the Atlantic Ocean and reaching western Europe on Monday. Canada has had a dramatic start to wildfire season, with at least 19,027,114 acres already charred across the country. Wildfire activity in Canada typically peaks from June to August, leaving more than half of the peak season still to come. As a result of the unprecedented start to the wildfire season, this year has become the worst fire season on record, surpassing the previous benchmark set in 1989 for the total area burned. In 1989, at least 18,254,317 acres were burned in the country, according to fire statistics from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre."

Coastal cities are sinking as sea levels are rising, increasing flood risks

More from Smart Cities Dive: "New York City is sinking 1-2 millimeters a year. The northern part of Tampa, Florida, is sinking up to 6 millimeters a year. This phenomenon, called subsidence, is one that many coastal cities are facing. Urban areas are sinking while sea levels are rising, resulting in a heightened risk of floods. While the impacts may sound drastic, the issue is not always top of mind, even for officials in coastal cities, said Steven D'Hondt, a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. "Probably most coastal city managers are aware of sea-level rise, but I think not very many of them are aware of the sinking of the shore," said D'Hondt, who has co-authored research papers on the topic. Local governments can take steps to minimize future flooding by enacting policy and operational changes now, say researchers and city officials."

As charging headaches persist, automakers turn to Tesla's Supercharger network

More from Grist: "Ford CEO Jim Farley was driving his family back from vacation in Lake Tahoe last summer when he recognized something most EV owners know well: Public charging can be a headache. On the 300-mile trip to Monterey, California, it wasn't easy to find places to plug in his Ford Mustang Mach-E. His children had no problem, however, spotting the numerous Tesla Supercharger stations along the way. "My kids kept looking at me, 'Hey Dad, there's another Supercharger, can we stop there? How about there?'" Farley recounted in a conversation on Twitter Spaces in May. "I'd say, 'No, we have to go over here, behind this other building.'" Farley said that was when he realized Tesla had done far better than any other charging network in creating an easy, dependable, and accessible customer experience. So easy, in fact, that he wanted Ford customers to be able to access it, too."

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- D.J. Kayser