THANK YOU.

BACK TO YOU, ERIC AND CATHY.

>> CATHY: ALL RIGHT, KAOMI, THANK YOU.

AND DAVINA IS AMAZING, THANK YOU, DAVINA.

WE ARE LIVE AT THE STATE FAIR BY THE WAY, FOLKS.

WE'RE HERE AT THE MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO BOOTH CORNER OF JUDSON AND NELSON ND THIS IS A SPECIAL EPISODE OF ALMANAC FROM TWIN CITIES PUBLIC TELEVISION.

INDEED IT IS.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ] Y'ALL KNOW IT'S BEEN KIND OF A HOT SMOKY STORMY SUMMER HERE IN THE GREAT STATE OF MINNESOTA AND THE FORECAST FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS HERE AT THE FAIR IS GLORIOUS.

TODAY WE'RE JUST PRAYING THAT THE RAIN WILL STAY AWAY FROM THE NEXT FEW MINUTES SO WE CAN GET THE SHOW IN.

THERE IS RAIN IN THE FORECAST.

JOINING US IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE HUMAN BEINGS, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS SUMMER, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THE FALL AND WINTER MAY PORTEND WITH DR. MARK SEELEY, CLIMATOLOGIST, METEOROLOGIST, RETIRED UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PROFESSOR WHO'S NOW WITH THE MINNESOTA CLIMATE ADAPTATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.

WELCOME TO THE FAIR, FRIEND.

>> THANK YOU, THANK YOU, CATHY.

AND GOVERNOR WALZ PUT ME ON THE SPOT THERE DIDN'T HE?

>> Cathy: HE KIND OF DID IT WITH THE RAIN.

>> YEAH, IF WE DON'T GET A SPRINKLE BEFORE 1:00 OR 2:00, THE REST OF THE DAY IS GONNA BE PRETTY DRY.

>> Cathy: YOU HEARD IT FROM MARK SEELEY.

>> IF WE CAN GET THAT FAR WE'LL BE OKAY.

>> Cathy: NOW, I MENTIONED THE SMOKY SUMMER.

IT'S BEEN GOOD HERE THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT IT'S BEEN REALLY AWFUL WITH THESE AIR QUALITY ALERTS.

>> IT SURE HAS.

THAT'S ONE OF THE WEATHER HEADLINES FOR THE SUMMER.

OVER 30 AIR QUALITY ALERTS SO FAR FROM THE MPCA THIS SUMMER.

WHICH IS RIGHT UP THERE WITH THE YEAR 2021 AND 2023.

AND I KNOW THAT'S BEEN REALLY AN OBSTRUCTION TO ENJOYING SUMMER FOR A LOT OF OUR MINNESOTANS.

AND WE'RE NOT DONE YET, I HATE TO SAY THAT, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA HAVE A FEW MORE BEFORE ALL IS SAID AND DONE.

>> Eric: IT'S BEEN WINDY, DOESN'T THE WIND BLOW THE SMOKE OUT, OR?

>> WELL, IT'S -- THE WIND IS A FACTOR, ERIC, ABSOLUTELY.

BUT WHEN WE GET THE NORTH WINDS OUT OF CANADA, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SO MANY HUNDREDS OF WILDFIRES EMITTING A LOT OF SMOKE UP THERE THAT SOONER OR LATER IT DOESN'T ALL DILUTE BEFORE IT GETS TO MINNESOTA.

AND IN FACT IN MANY REGARDS THE HIGHEST AIR QUALITY, OR THE HIGHEST INDEX VALUES HAVE COME FROM NORTHERN COUNTIES THIS YEAR OVER THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES, BECAUSE THEY'RE A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE SOURCE.

>> Cathy: EXACTLY, YOU AND I WERE TALKING ON "MORNING EDITION" ON MPR NEWS, WE TALK EVERY FRIDAY, AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE INCREDIBLY WET SUMMER.

AND -- >> RIGHT.

>> Cathy: JUST RECENTLY YOU TOLD ME THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL PLACES IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, GRAND MEADOW I THINK COMES TO MIND, MORE THAN 10 INCHES OF RAIN?

>> RIGHT.

YEAH, WE'VE GOT PLACES, WE STILL HAVE, WHAT IS IT, AS OF TODAY'S DATE WE STILL HAVE EIGHT OR NINE DAYS TO GO IN AUGUST, AND WE'VE ALREADY GOT SOME SOUTHERN MINNESOTA LOCATIONS THAT ARE CLOSE TO A FOOT OF RAIN THIS MONTH.

JUST THE FIRST 22 DAYS THIS MONTH.

AND NOW GRAND MEADOW I WANT TO SEND OUT BECAUSE WE'VE GOT WEATHER OBSERVERS IN GRAND MEADOW AND I ALWAYS LIKE TO SALUTE OUR GOOD VOLUNTEER WEATHER OBSERVERS.

SO ON THE 17TH OF THIS MONTH, WHICH WASN'T THAT MANY DAYS AGO, THEY REPORTED 6.3 INCHES.

AND FOR A STATISTICIAN LIKE ME THAT'S REMARKABLE BECAUSE THAT'S THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF RAIN THAT HAS EVER FALLEN ANYWHERE IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA ON AUGUST 17TH.

AND THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN VERY OFTEN THAT YOU RECORD A NUMBER LIKE THAT.

>> Eric: DEWPOINTS HAVE NOT BEEN OUR FRIEND.

>> NO, LOTS OF DAYS, ERIC, WITH 70-DEGREE DEWPOINTS.

WE EVEN HAD OUR FRIENDS IN PLACES LIKE FERGUS FALLS AND MOORHEAD AND FURTHER WEST FROM US, THEY'VE HAD DEWPOINTS AS HIGH AS 82 THIS SUMMER.

>> Cathy: UGH!

>> THAT'S ALMOST PERSIAN GULF DEWPOINT.

AND OF COURSE YOU KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A HEAT ADVISORY, LOTS OF HEAT ADVISORIES THIS SUMMER BY THE WAY BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOSTLY BECAUSE THE DEWPOINTS HAVE BEEN SO HIGH.

>> Cathy: FOLKS WANNA KNOW, HOW ABOUT THE FALL AND WINTER OUTLOOKS?

>> WELL, IT'S A MIXED BAG, CATHY.

THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN VERY OFTEN, BUT ALL THE MODELS ARE AGREED THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE WARMER THAN NORMAL SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER.

WHICH IS UNUSUAL THAT ALL THE OUTLOOK MODELS AGREE ON THAT.

SO IF YOU HEAR METEOROLOGISTS TALK ABOUT THIS FALL THEY'LL PROBABLY TALK VERY CONFIDENTLY ABOUT IT BEING AN EXTENDED WARM FALL.

THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE, THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE WITH MOISTURE.

THE MODELS ARE ALL OVER KINGDOM COME ON WHAT THE FALL SEASON'S GOING TO BE LIKE.

WE'RE GOING TO BE BONE DRY OR WE'RE GONNA BE EXCESSIVELY WET OR WE'RE GONNA BE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE.

SO TAKE OUT YOUR FAVORITE COIN, YOU KNOW, AND GO FOR IT.

BUT SO WE REALLY DON'T HAVE A GOOD INDICATION.

ONE THING I DO THINK, BACK TO ERIC'S POINT, THOUGH, ABOUT THE WIND.

I THINK ONCE WE COME OUT OF THE SUMMER SEASON WE GET INTO THE FALL SEASON, I THINK THOSE HIGH WINDY DAYS ARE GOING TO RETURN TO US BECAUSE WE SEEM TO BE IN RECENT DECADES ON A TREND UPWARD WITH RESPECT TO THE WINDS.

SO THOSE, EXPECT TO HAVE LOTS OF KITE FLYING WEATHER.

[ LAUGHTER ] AND ALL THAT KIND OF WEATHER CONDITION THIS FALL.

>> Cathy: WE ARE GLAD THAT YOU'RE OUT HERE FOR ALMANAC ON FRIDAY.

YOU AND I ARE GOING TO SEE EACH OTHER ON THIS VERY SAME STAGE ON MONDAY FOR THE 29TH ANNUAL STATE FAIR WEATHER QUIZ.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

AND WE'LL HAVE SOME GREAT PRIZES.

>> Cathy: OKAY.

>> FROM THE BELL MUSEUM AND PLANETARIUM AND FROM THE FRESHWATER SOCIETY AND I THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD PARTICIPATE.

>> Cathy: AND THEY WILL.

>> LOT OF FUN WITH THE QUESTIONS THIS YEAR.

>> Cathy: I'LL SEE YOU MONDAY.

DR