Latest news with #EdShimon
CTV News
01-08-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Canadian wildfires trigger air quality alerts in Midwest U.S.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires has reached the U.S., triggering air quality alerts over much of the Midwest Thursday. Ed Shimon, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the U.S., said wildfires have contributed to smoky conditions in eastern North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. 'The computer models and the satellites show exactly where the smoke origination is, and it is in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, even far eastern Alberta has a few fires,' said Shimon. The wildfire smoke has prompted the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to place all of Minnesota under an air quality alert which is expected to be in effect until Saturday evening. 'The smoke will be reinforced by an area of high pressure that will create light winds and limit dispersion of smoke,' said the MPCA in a news release. Nick Witcraft, a research scientist and meteorologist with the MPCA, said this is only the second time a Code Red air quality (or worse) has been forecasted over the entire state. Witcraft confirmed that most of the smoke in Minnesota is from Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Minnesota air quality A view of weather conditions on July 31, 2025 (left) at Sunset Lodge Resort, Minn., compared to an undated clear day (right). (Federal Aviation Administration) Meanwhile, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued an air quality alert for northern Illinois with conditions expected to improve on Friday. 'We have smoke shrouding the city here,' said Tom Skilling, chief meteorologist emeritus at WGN-TV, speaking from Chicago, Ill. 'I live in a high-rise building on the north side of Chicago, right on the Lake Michigan shoreline, and normally I can see the city skyline, which is only about six miles south of me, very clear. I can't see more than two miles today,' he said. Skilling said a westerly flow of smoke that's coming from Utah is also contributing to the 'very smoky, low visibility regime' in the Midwest. Elsewhere in the Midwest, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is warning residents of smoke from Canadian wildfires that is expected to remain over most of the state in the coming days.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
‘You never expect to see a building completely destroyed': NWS confirms Sunday tornado in Tolono
TOLONO, Ill. (WCIA) — The National Weather Service (NWS) was in Champaign County on Monday morning surveying damage after severe weather over the weekend. Thousands of people were without power, and some were hurt in car crashes on multiple interstates. In Tolono, a shed at Illinois Foundation Seeds collapsed after high winds and rain came through on Sunday afternoon. Ed Shimon, a NWS meteorologist, assessed the damage and worked with a team of experts, to later determine an EF-1 tornado caused some of the destruction. 'The software will give me an idea of what wind speeds were needed to cause this level of damage,' Shimon explained. The tornado had 90-mile-per-hour winds and destroyed the building just north of town off of Route 45. Severe weather preparedness: Champaign-based septic company offering storm shelters 'You never expect to see a building completely destroyed. It is devastating to this area,' he added. From one part of the county to another, Chris Heater is thinking back to Sunday's severe weather too. When sirens went off, he was driving an MTD bus near Champaign's Marketplace Mall. 'I would say within 60 seconds of the sirens and the alert, we were getting a call from control telling us which buses to shelter in which location,' he said. He and his 15 passengers got inside safely, and luckily for those on board, he storm chases in his free time. 'I was told by someone on Facebook that was on my bus that they definitely appreciated me saying that because it made them feel way more comfortable,' Heater said. WCIA 3 Severe Weather Center Now, he's gearing up for the potential of more severe systems throughout the spring, while Shimon is sending a message of awareness for others across the state. 'This is an indication of what the winds can do, and they don't have to be spinning in a tornado, tornadic circulation to cause this kind of damage,' Shimon said. 'Be prepared, severe thunderstorm warnings can mean your building can get damaged.' He also communicated with Champaign County's Emergency Management Agency to determine other locations to look at. He went to a few other locations throughout Tolono and along the tornado's path. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
