Classic late July weekend, impressive Grand Marais fog

Minnesotans savor the depths of summer weather in late July. But our quiet little internal seasonal clock is always ticking.

Vikings training camp. Back to school ads on TV. The Minnesota State Fair begins 4 weeks from Thursday? Tick. Tick. Tick.

This weekend features hazy sunshine, warmth, and a slightly fresher breeze. Another hot front oozing north Monday and Tuesday delivers our next surge of 70 degree dew points.

Note to self: Get out and savor this classic last July weekend.

Friday morning flood

It was a close call for the metro Friday morning with the heaviest downpours grazing the south and west suburbs. A swath of 2" to 3"+ rainfall totals pelted farms and towns from Paynseville through Cokato, Annandale, Litchfield, Watertown, Waseca and Albert Lea.

Grand Marais fog

One of my favorite Minnesota places experienced an impressive fog front Friday. Link below.

Quieter weekend

The weekend trends quieter across Minnesota. A weak bubble of high pressure should be enough to keep storms at bay Saturday. An isolated T-Storm may fire Sunday in the heat of the day as another warm front gathers south.

Looking into next week, another steamy air mass returns through Tuesday. Relief arrives as a moderately strong cool front blows through with a much fresher air mass by mid-week.

Bugnado!

It could be worse.

20 years since deadly Chicago heat wave 

It's hard to believe it's already been 20 years since Chicago's deadliest heat wave. It was my first summer as meteorologist on the newly launched WGN Morning News. It's also hard to believe I thought that mustache was even a remotely good idea.

I recall filing reports for the WGN News at noon standing outside a hospital where the overflow of bodies was being collected and stored into refrigerated semi trucks temporarily parked out back. Not exactly what you picture going into broadcast meteorology. It's a sobering reminder that while tornadoes get many headlines, heat is the #1 killer in the US. I was part of the team put together by the City of Chicago after the event to create an action plan for future heat waves.

Here's more on Chicago heat wave from NOAA.

Heat: Summer’s #1 Killer

Twenty years ago this summer, a heat wave struck Chicago, leading to the deaths of nearly 750 people during a single week. The Chicago heat wave of 1995 tragically demonstrated that heat and humidity can be a deadly combination. These factors put a lot of stress on the human body and can lead to serious health conditions such as heat exhaustion, heat stroke, or even death. The more extreme the temperature, the shorter the amount of exposure time needed to fall ill.

Heat waves have the potential to cover a large area, exposing a high number of people to a hazardous combination of heat and humidity. In fact, heat is typically the leading cause of weather related fatalities each year. High temperatures and humidity are common in numerous locations across the country. However, when temperatures spike and humidity is on the rise in areas of the U.S. that are not accustomed to these conditions, people don’t necessarily understand that they need to take action to stay safe.

The Heat Index is a measure of how hot it really feels when relative humidity is factored in with the actual air temperature. As you can see from the chart below, high humidity levels combined with hot conditions can be extremely dangerous. Limit your outdoor activities during these periods.

Alaska wildfires worst on record

What happens when you warm a perpetually cold place like Alaska beyond the limits of past climates? Massive landscape changing wildfires.

Here's more on Alaska's worst wildfire season to date, and the meteorologists who are helping crews try and contain the unprecedented conflagration.

Fires are raging in Alaska, and there’s no end in sight.

More than 600 fires have burned millions of acres in the state, according to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, making this year the worst wildfire season so far in Alaska’s history. Fires have caused evacuations, highway closures, poor air quality, and rail and flight disruptions. More than 350 structures have been damaged, including about 70 homes (Updated July 7, 2015).

Accurate weather forecasts are vital tools to fighting these fires, as are specially trained meteorologists on the ground known as incident meteorologists or IMETs. NOAA sends fire weather forecasters, or incident meteorologists, into the field to consult with firefighters.

Four NOAA IMETS deployed in Alaska are providing lifesaving, up-to-the-minute weather information and timely forecasts to firefighters and the public in range of the immediate fire area. With this critical weather information, incident commanders on the scene can decide where to move and position fire crews, as well as get the latest information about incoming weather patterns that could affect the characteristics of a given fire.