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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Wildfire smoke engulfs the Twin Cities and rain isn't helping
Wildfire smoke engulfs the Twin Cities and rain isn't helping originally appeared on Bring Me The News. The worst air quality in Minnesota Tuesday morning is in the Twin Cities metro area. Not even the morning rain is enough to prevent thick, near-surface smoke from reaching a "very unhealthy" level. It literally smells like campfire in the Twin Cities. Why isn't the rain helping clear out the smoke? According to the National Weather Service, the smoke is arriving behind the cold front that is delivering the rain, so the smoke "filters right back down." Sign up for our BREAKING WEATHER newsletters The purple on the map below represents the areas experiencing "very unhealthy" air quality, which is level five of six on the Air Quality Index (AQI) scale. With an AQI in the purple zone, people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teenagers are advised to avoid physical activities outdoors. Everyone else is urged to avoid strenuous outdoor activities, limit time outside and consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them. The awful air quality is due to heavy smoke from wildfires in Canada that continue burning out of control. And the smoke is going to stick around all day Tuesday, The HRRR forecasting model shows where near-surface smoke could be heaviest between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Take a look: "The front will continue to slowly move from northwest to southeast throughout the day on Tuesday, with smoke impacts eventually becoming statewide," the MPCA and NWS say. The air quality alert is in effect until noon Wednesday, at which point Minnesota is forecast to enjoy a beautiful day with clear, smoke-free skies with high temps in the 70s. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Where and when severe storms are possible in Minnesota on Monday
Where and when severe storms are possible in Minnesota on Monday originally appeared on Bring Me The News. Storms could pack a punch Monday afternoon in Minnesota, though how far east the storms stay strong or severe is the wild card. According to the Storm Prediction Center, the best chance for severe storms is in southwestern Minnesota. However, storms reaching severe criteria are possible anywhere from the Canadian border all the way down to the borders with South Dakota and Iowa. The eastward extend of the severe threat appears to shut off by the time the storms reach places like the Twin Cities and locations south and east. Sign up for our BREAKING WEATHER newsletters "The best environment for today's development will be pinned along the eastern border of the Dakotas and Minnesota," says the National Weather Service in the Twin Ciites, adding that "the chances of severe storms in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin is nearly null." Here's what the Storm Prediction Center is saying: "Strong heating is expected ahead of this front, bringing temperatures into the upper 80s/low 90s from central MN into central NE. These temperatures coupled with dewpoints in the upper 50s to mid 60s will foster airmass destabilization, and thunderstorm development is expected as the cold front and large-scale forcing for ascent interacts with this destabilized airmass. Initial thunderstorm development is expected during the afternoon across MN where the strongest low-level convergence will be in place. Dewpoints (and overall buoyancy) will be lower here than areas farther southwest, which is expected to limit overall storm strength and contribute to an anafrontal storm character." What is anafrontal? An anafront is a rainy cold front delivering moisture and clouds. And unlike a normal cold front, precipitation can form and allow for rain to continue behind the leading edge of storms. The best instability and energy for severe storms Monday afternoon will be in southwestern Minnesota. You can see how limited the CAPE (convective available potential energy) is near the Twin Cities by 4 p.m. Below is a good look at how the HRRR model sees things developing Monday-Tuesday. It begins with storms from the Dakotas intensifying in western/central Minnesota, followed by more development to the southwest. This could all happen by 2-3 p.m. The rain then continues, making for a wet Tuesday in the Twin Cities and Rochester. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
When to expect the heaviest Canadian wildfire smoke in Minnesota this weekend
When to expect the heaviest Canadian wildfire smoke in Minnesota this weekend originally appeared on Bring Me The News. All of Minnesota will experience poor air quality this weekend as smoke — both near the surface and at higher altitudes — invades from wildfires that are burning out of control in Canada. Minnesotans will be able to see and smell the smoke when it nears the surface. "Due to Canadian wildfires, air quality across all of central-southern MN into western WI will be degraded to the Unhealthy For Sensitive Groups (AQI Orange) level through Monday. Thus, Air Quality Alerts have been issued by both MPCA and WIDNR," says the National Weather Service. "A cold front will drag smoke from large wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan southward across the Upper Midwest. Multiple waves of smoke will then follow for Saturday through Monday, resulting in a prolonged period of degraded air quality. "Sensitive groups, such as those with lung disease, heart disease, children and older adults may experience health effects and should limit prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors." Sign up for our BREAKING WEATHER newsletters According to the weather service, "some improvement is expected across eastern MN tonight before building back east Sunday with the warm front. Periods of smoke will then persist into Monday." The near-surface smoke, which is unhealthy for everyone, will worsen throughout the day from north to south across Minnesota. The graphic below from the Grand Forks office the National Weather Service does a nice job of showing how smoke near the surface will evolve Saturday. Sunday could be worse as near-surface smoke could expand throughout more of Minnesota. Take a look: "The surface smoke is in sufficient concentrations for people to see and smell. There is high confidence that all Minnesotans will experience some level of air quality impact from smoke, and that some may experience significant air quality impacts," says the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). "Smoke concentrations may decrease at times in some parts of the state through the duration of the air quality alert, but afternoon heating and atmospheric mixing (which helps to bring smoke from aloft down to the surface) should result in additional rounds of poor air quality each day." While air quality alerts are in effect through Monday, it doesn't mean the smoke will go away next week. In fact, the MPCA says "additional fresh rounds of heavy surface smoke are possible from Monday into Wednesday of next week." A helpful tool to check the air quality in your location can be found here. Just enter your zip code for current air quality values. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
See the clouds over Minnesota Friday morning? Yeah ... it's wildfire smoke
See the clouds over Minnesota Friday morning? Yeah ... it's wildfire smoke originally appeared on Bring Me The News. If you'd checked the forecast for Minnesota on Friday you would have seen an icon for uninterrupted sun, but waking up and seeing the sun filtered through a hazy sky is the result of smoke blowing over the state from wildfires that are burning out of control in Canada. Sign up for our BREAKING WEATHER newsletters The GIF above shows the vertically integrated smoke. The smoke that's actually reaching the surface is impacting Wisconsin and northeast Minnesota on Friday, but it will reach more of Minnesota over the weekend. Air quality alerts are in effect Friday in northeast Minnesota and all of Wisconsin. For now, an air quality alert is already in place Saturday in northwest Minnesota in advance of expected surface smoke. According to the National Weather Service, there is a "high likelihood of an expansion of [air quality alerts] across much of Minnesota" over the weekend. Air quality alerts aren't uncommon in Minnesota, but they are typically in the "orange" category, meaning the fine particles in the air can be harmful to sensitive groups. It's less common to reach the "red" category, when the air is harmful to everyone — and that's the case Friday in northeast Minnesota and Saturday in northwest Minnesota. "While it may produce colorful sunsets, wildfire smoke that reaches the ground can affect our health. Among other pollutants, wildfire smoke contains fine particles that may be harmful to sensitive groups. Those fine particles can cause harm to the respiratory and cardiovascular system," the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) says. When the forecast enters the red category, there could still be times during the day where the air fluctuates to make it OK for outdoor activities. A helpful tool to check the air quality in your location can be found here. Just enter your zip code for current air quality values. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-KSTP meteorologist Wren Clair joins KARE 11 weather team
Wren Clair, the Twin Cities meteorologist who suddenly exited KSTP this past February, has joined the KARE 11 weather team. Clair's LinkedIn page was updated to reflect her new employment with KARE 11, which was confirmed by the Twin Cities NBC affiliate to Bring Me The News on Monday. "We're excited to have Wren join the team of talented meteorologists at KARE 11," said Doug Wieder, President and General Manager of KARE. "Her expertise in weather forecasting and commitment to viewers aligns perfectly with our station's mission." Sign up for our BREAKING WEATHER newsletters Clair will start with the station next Monday, May 19. Details of her role with KARE 11 have not been confirmed at this time. KSTP confirmed in mid-February that Clair was "no longer employed" with the station, after viewers noticed she had not appeared during her regular time-slot. No reason was given for her departure, with Clair also not speaking publicly about her departure. Clair joined KSTP-TV in 2018, previously working at stations in Wisconsin and Boston. She now joins a KARE 11 weather team led by Belinda Jensen, with other members including John Zeigler, Laura Betker, and Jamie Kagol.
