Full Buck Moon Thursday night; Friday storm chance and a great weekend ahead

We’ll enjoy some lovely midsummer moon glow across Minnesota overnight as a full Buck Moon, or Raspberry Moon, shines over the state into Friday morning.

The July full moon peaked at 3:36 p.m. Central Daylight Time Thursday according to timeadndate.com. It rises at 9:31 p.m. over the Twin Cities Thursday night. You should see it climbing higher in the eastern sky during the 10 p.m. hour.

Here are the moon phases for the rest of July.

Buck or Raspberry full moon

I love Native American moon names. They reflect what’s happening in our environment and seasons through the year. For July, the full moon is often called the Buck Moon or Raspberry Moon. But there are also many other native moon names from July from different areas.

Here’s more from the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association:

There is a nearly limitless supply of moon names. With 576 federally recognized tribes, Native Hawaiians and even more state-recognized tribes throughout the country there is a nearly limitless supply of moon names. Here are just a few:

Please note, the months below are rough approximations of when each moon will appear. The concept of months only occurred post-colonization and most of these tribal translations pre-date colonization and generally reflect the seasonality of lunar phases. Moon phases, in fact, were used as measurements of time.

Air quality alert Friday

Our latest air quality alert Friday focuses on northwestern Minnesota. A smudge of Canadian wildfire smoke across Lake Winnipeg will drift southward into northwestern Minnesota Friday. Here are the details from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency:

Air quality alert issued due to wildfire smoke for Friday, July 11, for northwest and north central Minnesota
Air quality is expected to reach the purple AQI category in northwest Minnesota, which is very unhealthy for everyone.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for northwest and north central Minnesota. The alert takes effect 6 a.m. on Friday, July 11, and runs until 6 p.m. on Friday, July 11. The affected area includes Brainerd, Bemidji, East Grand Forks, Moorhead, International Falls, Roseau, and the Tribal Nations of Mille Lacs, Leech Lake, White Earth, and Red Lake.

Heavy ground-level smoke from wildfires in central Canada will move into northwest Minnesota early Friday morning behind a cold front. The first band of smoke will quickly move across northern Minnesota during the day Friday and reach northeast Minnesota by the evening. A second round of smoke will reach northwest Minnesota Friday evening. This round of smoke will be more widespread and may impact the northern half of the state on Saturday. The alert may need to be extended to cover the second round of smoke. Cleaner air will move into the state from the west on Sunday and air quality should improve beginning Sunday afternoon.

Fine particle levels are expected to reach the purple air quality index (AQI) category, a level considered very unhealthy for everyone, across northwest Minnesota. This area includes Bemidji, East Grand Forks, Roseau, and the Tribal Nations of Red Lake, Leech Lake, and White Earth. In the purple area, everyone should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion and stay indoors. Fine particle levels are expected to reach the red air quality index (AQI) category, a level considered unhealthy for everyone, across northwest and north central Minnesota. This area includes Brainerd, Moorhead, International Falls, and the Tribal Nations of Mille Lacs, Leech Lake, White Earth, and Red Lake. In the red area, sensitive groups should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion and limit time spent outdoors. Everyone should limit prolonged or heavy exertion and time spent outdoors.

Great looking July weekend ahead

Plenty of sun, low humidity and balmy temperatures are ahead this weekend.

This could be one of the best weekends of summer. We’ll have to keep an eye on the wildfire smoke trajectory but overall look for plenty of sunshine both days. Highs favor the 70s Saturday, with more widespread 80s by Sunday afternoon.

Get out there and enjoy!