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- Currently in the Twin Cities — August 30, 2023: One last nice day before the heat returns in full force
Currently in the Twin Cities — August 30, 2023: One last nice day before the heat returns in full force
Plus, Idalia makes landfall, bringing catastrophic storm surge to Florida.
Sven Sundgaard & Eric Holthaus
August 29, 2023
The weather, currently.
One last nice day before the heat returns in full force
Canadian wildfire smoke returned to the Minnesota skies. Hazy skies and moderate air quality (unhealthy west) will continue into early Wednesday. Enjoy one more pleasant and near normal day Wednesday with highs in the upper 70s.
The winds pick up Thursday as warmer air returns. We’ll be in the 90s potentially Saturday through Monday or Tuesday. Our record highs are in the 97 to 98 degree range and one or two of those could fall. It doesn’t look to be as humid with this wave of heat however. Dew points will be mainly in the 60s versus 70s to near 80 we saw last week.
What you need to know, currently.
Hurricane Idalia will make landfall Wednesday morning in Florida’s Big Bend region — becoming the first major hurricane to hit that region since records begin in 1851.
Idalia will bring "catastrophic", "unprecedented" storm surge to Florida, according to the National Weather Service. Maximum storm surge will be 10-15 feet in the Big Bend region between Tallahassee and the Tampa Bay area — with powerful waves on top that will be strong enough to scour away houses and buildings from immediate coastal regions. This region is exceptionally flat, both offshore and onshore, and Idalia could push the level of the ocean as much as 10 miles inland.
On Tuesday, the Florida Highway Patrol went door-to-door in areas of the Big Bend that are under mandatory evacuation, offering free rides inland. President Biden has already pre-approved a federal disaster declaration in anticipation of a long recovery process.
Map of all Category 4-5 continental US #hurricane landfalls on record (since 1851). #Idalia is forecast to be just below Category 4 intensity as it approaches the northwest Florida coast tomorrow morning.
— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach)
5:32 PM • Aug 29, 2023
This link will provide a full radar loop of Hurricane Idalia’s approach and landfall in Florida.
What you can do, currently.
One of my favorite organizations, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, serves as a hub of mutual aid efforts focused on climate action in emergencies — like Hurricane Idalia. Find mutual aid network near you and join, or donate to support networks in Florida:
