Air quality alerts spread across Minnesota as fires rage, sending smoke south

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

After Saturday’s thunderstorms, we’re ready for some drier weather to round out the weekend. 

There could be a few scattered early morning sprinkles in southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Northeastern Minnesota and parts of north-central Minnesota will see periods of rain Sunday morning with a few embedded thunderstorms at times. A bit of rain could linger into early afternoon near the Canadian border.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid-Refresh forecast model shows the potential rain pattern from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Sunday:

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio 

, and you can see updated weather info on the MPR News 

Sunday dew points will be in the comfortable 50s to the west and north, with stickier 60s southeast and east:

Hurricane Ida is a Category 4 Hurricane this morning.

According to the National Hurricane Center:

Here’s the complete Sunday morning Ida update:

BULLETIN Hurricane Ida Special Advisory Number 13 NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL092021 700 AM CDT Sun Aug 29 2021 ...LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE AND HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS REACHING THE COAST OF SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA... ...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE IDA EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL IN SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS... SUMMARY OF 700 AM CDT...1200 UTC...INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------- LOCATION...28.5N 89.6W ABOUT 50 MI...85 KM SW OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ABOUT 100 MI...160 KM SE OF HOUMA LOUISIANA MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...150 MPH...240 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...NW OR 320 DEGREES AT 15 MPH...24 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...933 MB...27.55 INCHES WATCHES AND WARNINGS -------------------- CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY: None. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT: A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for... * East of Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge Louisiana to the Alabama/Florida border * Vermilion Bay, Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Mobile Bay A Hurricane Warning is in effect for... * Intracoastal City Louisiana to the Mouth of the Pearl River * Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for... * Cameron Louisiana to west of Intracoastal City Louisiana * Mouth of the Pearl River to the Alabama/Florida border A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline in the indicated locations. For a depiction of areas at risk, please see the National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov. This is a life-threatening situation. Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions. Promptly follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials. A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. For storm information specific to your area, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office. DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK ---------------------- At 700 AM CDT (1200 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Ida was located near latitude 28.5 North, longitude 89.6 West. Ida is moving toward the northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h), and this general motion should continue through tonight and early Monday, followed by a slower northward motion on Monday afternoon. A northeastward turn is forecast by Monday night. On the forecast track, the center of Ida will make landfall along the coast of southeastern Louisiana within the hurricane warning area late this morning or early this afternoon. Ida is then forecast to move well inland over portions of Louisiana and western Mississippi on Monday and Monday night. Reports from Air Force Reserve and NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that the maximum sustained winds are near 150 mph (240 km/h) with higher gusts. Ida is an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some additional strengthening is forecast, and Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it makes landfall along the Louisiana coast. Rapid weakening is expected after landfall. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 50 miles (85 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km). An elevated NOAA C-MAN station at Pilot's Station East near Southwest Pass, Louisiana, recently reported a sustained wind of 92 mph (148 km/h) and a gust to 113 mph (181 km/h). Another NOAA elevated C-MAN station at Southwest Pass recently reported a sustained wind of 92 mph (148 km/h). The latest minimum central pressure reported by a NOAA reconnaissance aircraft is 933 mb (27.55 inches). HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND ---------------------- Key messages for Ida can be found in the Tropical Cyclone Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT4, WMO header WTNT44 KNHC, and on the web at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?key_messages. STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide... Port Fourchon, LA to Mouth of the Mississippi River...12-16 ft Morgan City, LA to Port Fourchon, LA...8-12 ft Mouth of the Mississippi River to Bay St. Louis, MS including Lake Borgne...8-12 ft Burns Point, LA to Morgan City, LA...6-9 ft Bay St. Louis, MS to Ocean Springs, MS...6-9 ft Lake Pontchartrain...5-8 ft Ocean Springs, MS to MS/AL border...4-7 ft Intracoastal City, LA to Burns Point, LA including Vermilion Bay...4-6 ft Lake Maurepas...4-6 ft Pecan Island, LA to Intracoastal City, LA...2-4 ft MS/AL border to AL/FL border including Mobile Bay...3-5 ft Sabine Pass to Pecan Island, LA...1-3 ft AL/FL border to Okaloosa/Walton County Line including Pensacola Bay...1-3 ft Overtopping of local levees outside of the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System is possible where local inundation values may be higher than those shown above. The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances. For information specific to your area, please see products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office. WIND: Catastrophic wind damage is likely where the core of Ida moves onshore along the southeast coast of Louisiana in the next few hours. Hurricane conditions are expected in the Hurricane Warning area along the Louisiana coast beginning by later this morning with tropical storm conditions expected to begin by early this morning. These conditions will spread inland over portions of Louisiana and Mississippi tonight and Monday. RAINFALL: Heavy rainfall from Ida will begin to impact the southeast Louisiana coast this morning, spreading northeast into the Lower Mississippi Valley later today into Monday. Total rainfall accumulations of 10 to 18 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 24 inches are possible across southeast Louisiana into far southern Mississippi through Monday. This is likely to result in life-threatening flash and urban flooding and significant riverine flooding impacts. Ida is forecast to turn to the northeast early Monday and track across the Middle Tennessee Valley and Ohio Valley through Wednesday, producing the following rainfall totals: Coastal Alabama to the far western Florida panhandle: 5 to 10 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches, today through Tuesday morning. Central Mississippi: 4 to 8 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches, tonight through Monday night. Middle Tennessee Valley to the Ohio Valley: 3 to 6 inches with isolated higher amounts, Tuesday into Wednesday. These rainfall totals will result in considerable flash and riverine flooding. TORNADOES: Tornadoes will be possible today into Monday from southeast Louisiana across southeast Mississippi and southwest Alabama to the western Florida Panhandle. SURF: Swells are beginning to reach the northern Gulf coast and will continue to affect that area through Monday. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office.

This Updraft blog will be updated around 10 a.m. with a look at the week ahead.

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Ron Trenda

Author

Most of us will have a dry Sunday, but rain will linger into the morning in northeastern Minnesota. We have the details, plus a look at Hurricane Ida. 

Quiet Sunday weather here; update on Ida

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox