Hazardous air quality, heat remain banes for Twin Cities on Thursday
Dangerous heat and hazardous air quality remain the primary concerns in the Twin Cities on Thursday.
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Chris Shaffer was raised in Stillwater, Minnesota and left our great state for four years to attend the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, where he earned degrees in Meteorology and Mass Communications.
Chris is an Emmy award-winning meteorologist and a proud member of the American Meteorological Society. He has been awarded the AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) designation. You may have seen him over the years doing the weather on television at KMSP FOX9 and WFTC/UPN 29. You may have also heard him back in his radio days on KOOL108, BOB100 (as Blaze Bodean), 104.1 The Point (as Cheeks), Cities 97, K102 (as Jack Wilde and himself) or KTLK.
It is no wonder why Chris is so passionate about Minnesota weather. His great uncle Wilbur was struck and killed by lightning while farming in southern Minnesota in the summer of 1952.
His family vehicle was once chased by a tornado near Maplewood, Minn. and one December on the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house, his family spent the night snowed in at a church in Winthrop, Minn., praying the blizzard would let up so they could get to Redwood Falls and open their presents the next morning.
Chris and his wife have family members all around the Twin Cities. And it's natural to forecast for the entire region with family in Pipestone, St. Cloud, Willmar, Sartell and Blooming Prairie just to name a few.
Chris loves the weather because it is always changing and is a constant challenge, much like raising his three daughters, who are as loud as a thunderstorm, pretty as a sunset and strong as a straight-line wind.
And who can forget the family pets? They've had guinea pigs, a hermit crab, a turtle, a salamander, a frog and several fish. They currently have two goldfish and their awesome Boston Terrier, Bailey.
Dangerous heat and hazardous air quality remain the primary concerns in the Twin Cities on Thursday.
Wednesday will be another dangerously hot day in Minnesota as wildfires continue to burn and air quality concerns linger. A NEXT Weather Alert will remain in place through Friday due to these concerns.
A NEXT Weather Alert remains in effect through Thursday evening, as does an extreme heat warning.
A NEXT Weather Alert is in effect, and most of the state is under an extreme heat warning until 9 p.m. on Thursday.
A strong area of high pressure is set to develop over the central U.S. Thursday, bringing Minnesota's next stretch of hot, dry weather.
The Twin Cities will deal with off-and-on showers and rumbles Wednesday. Expect gray and muggy conditions, even though it's a bit cool for this time of year with highs in the low 80s.
Scattered showers and isolated severe thunderstorms are possible late Tuesday into early Wednesday in the Twin Cities. Lows will be in the low 70s.
Severe storms that swept through Minnesota on Monday evening and night prompted weather warnings across the northern and central regions of the state.
A heat advisory is in effect through 9 p.m. for the Twin Cities. Highs will be in the low 90, but the heat index is around 100 degrees.
Storms are passing through northwest and northern Minnesota late Monday ahead of a hot Tuesday in store for the state.
High temperatures in the Twin Cities will be near 80 degrees on Friday, though it will not be humid.
After a morning of spotty showers, the Twin Cities is enjoying sunshine, a nice breeze and highs in the mid-70s Wednesday.
Scattered showers and storms will remain possible through the evening across much of southeastern Minnesota, including parts of the Twin Cities metro area.
Badly needed rain will return to the metro and southwestern Minnesota late Tuesday night, lingering into Wednesday.
Relatively quiet summer weather will continue in the Twin Cities Monday.