NEXT Weather: Extreme heat makes exit, but brutal humidity lingers through Saturday

If you live in an urban area, you likely felt the brunt of the heat this week. That's because cities are often hotter than the countryside.

You may have heard our meteorologists talk about this – but what is an urban heat island? It's something experts say city planners will have to address as our climate warms.

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FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS
Minnesota until 12:15 a.m. - Polk County
Wisconsin until 12:45 a.m. - Barron, Rusk counties

Xcel Energy reports that as of 8:30 p.m. Thursday, almost 9,000 customers are without power in western Wisconsin, as well as parts north and west of the Twin Cities metro area.

Minnesotans are sweating it out in scorching temperatures.

In this extreme heat, cooling centers, like the Minneapolis Central Library, play a critical role in keeping people cool.

"We are seeing quite a bit of an uptick for folks coming in," said Hennepin County Library Supervisor Toni Miller. "The great thing about the library is it's a place you can just come and hang out and get on the computer. You can read, we have toys and interactive materials for kids."

The downtown Minneapolis library is just one of 41 libraries in Hennepin County alone, where you can beat the heat.

Beach-goers are beating the heat at Main Beach on Lake Nokomis, where it's clear why many are here.

In Afton, the historic Selma's Ice Cream Parlor served hot patrons from throughout the metro Thursday. 

"Before every shift, I look at what the temperature is looking like, so that I can mentally prepare to see how long the lines are going to be," said employee Will Nippert. "You can just see the sweat dripping from people, and I know yeah, it's hot outside."

Nippert says on a day where temperatures push triple digits, his job is not just to serve customers – it's to provide relief.

"It means it's going to be busy, that's for sure. Busy, and hot," he said. 

"It's cool, its textured, its creamy, I just love it," said Tony Thomas of Woodbury. 

"It's like, really good for us on a hot sunny day," said Owen Weber, also of Woodbury. 

The heat is really going to be an issue for golf fans today out at the 3M Open.

WCCO's crews have seen so many golf fans walking through the misters, getting relief as they walk to the first tee box or driving range there.

There are also several stations where you can pick up free packets of sunscreen from M Health Fairview.

And there are lots of spots for people to stand in the shade, whether that's under a tree or under an awning.

Fans were informed they can also go to the 3M Fan Hub, which is fully air-conditioned, to get a break from the heat.

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Storms slammed into the Twin Cities while most residents were sleeping overnight Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and lightning bolts.

But it was the wind that wreaked the most havoc early Wednesday morning in Kandiyohi County. WCCO's helicopter got a closer look at the aftermath. We saw roofs ripped off homes and sheds in Spicer and New London. We also saw some massive trees pulled out of the ground.  

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Not only are firefighters keeping our communities safe, but they also gotta keep themselves safe, too.

Crews across Minneapolis are doing everything they can to beat the heat so they're ready to respond to fires. But that's not all they're ready for.

"We get a lot more unconscious calls that are usually someone that hasn't been staying hydrated…or are hydrating on the wrong sorts of liquid," said firefighter Andrew Blegen.  

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It's a seasonal pattern that Jon Simonson of Sedgwick Heating + AC has down to a science.

First, temperatures climb. Then, air conditioning units in homes throughout the nine-county metro start to fall.

"People's units that are older just can't take this much stress," said Simonson, who serves as Sedgwick's general manager. "It can be anywhere from a couple hundred phone calls (for service) in one day, we've seen it as high as 1,500 calls in one day."  

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It's definitely a good day to relax by a pool or lake, but for a team of young workers, duty calls and their summer jobs are no walk in the park.

They were hired by Minneapolis Park and Rec as part of their youth employment and training program: Teen Teamworks.

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The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has reported that the air quality alert, due to ozone, has been canceled.

Overnight heavy rain and thunderstorms helped to clear the atmosphere of smoke.

Now that the smoke is gone, there's less catalyst for ozone to form, and air quality sensors are reporting good air quality in many areas.

The Anoka County Fair always falls on the last week of July, so they're used to the heat. They've been preparing for years for this kind of weather.

The buildings here are insulated on the roof to stop a lot of radiant heat, and there are plenty of fans to keep people cool in buildings and livestock areas. Fair employees will drive around to vendors, regularly passing out water and wet towels.

Fair officials say most of the vendors have fans, and in some cases even air conditioning. But not every vendor has A/C, like Amish Annie Donuts. There, they have a pretty unique way of staying cool.

"We've got a cooler so we put some towels and wrap them around us to cool us down. It's like frozen, and we just keep rotating them in and out," Madison Olson said.

Fair officials have also set up these mister tents. There are three set up across the fairgrounds.

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A stretch of a Twin Cities highway buckled Tuesday evening as the region slides into a heat wave, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation warns motorists to be vigilant as more may pop up.

Highway 610 in Maple Grove -- between Interstate 94 and Elm Creek Boulevard -- was closed for several hours overnight as crews worked to repair the damaged pavement.

The agency warned motorists to be on the lookout for potential other pavement buckles, and to contact 911 if they encounter one, as MnDOT considers these buckles to be an emergency.

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A cluster of storms dragged heavy rain and lightning across Minnesota early Tuesday.

According to Xcel Energy, nearly 15,000 customers in the state are without power as of 5:30 a.m. About half of those customers are in the Twin Cities.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) offers nearly 100 places to keep cool as temperatures soar during this heat wave.

Pools

• There are more than 50 wading pools or splash pads open 10 am-7 pm daily. Wading pools are free to use.
• Jim Lupient and North Commons Water Park are open 1-7 pm daily.
  • At Lupient, admission is $5 for guests 42 inches and taller, $3 for guests shorter than 42 inches tall, or after 5 pm.
  • At North Commons, admission is $5 for adults and free for guests under age 18.
• Webber Natural Swimming Pool is open 1-7 pm, Tuesday-Sunday (closed Mondays). Admission is free.
• People ages 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult at Webber, North Commons and Lupient.
• View an interactive map showing all pools in the Minneapolis park system and their status updated daily at minneapolisparks.org/pools.

Beaches

• There are 12 beaches available on six lakes in Minneapolis. Thomas Beach on Bde Maka Ska and Lake Hiawatha Beach are currently closed due to water quality.
• All other beaches are open 6 am-10 pm daily.
• Lifeguards are on duty 1-7 pm daily at Lake Nokomis Main Beach and Wirth Lake Beach through August 20. Lifeguards are also assigned to Thomas Beach when it is open.
• More information, including an interactive map showing the status, water quality conditions and lifeguard hours of all beaches is available at minneapolisparks.org/beaches.

Recreation Centers

Twenty-eight recreation centers throughout Minneapolis are air conditioned, free and open to the public. Most have gymnasiums, computer labs and free activities.

The following air-conditioned recreation centers are open Monday-Thursday, noon-9 pm and Fridays noon-6 pm.

• Audubon Recreation Center
• Bottineau Recreation Center
• Bryant Square Recreation Center
• Coyle Community Center
• East Phillips Park Cultural and Community Center
• Elliot Recreation Center
• Farview Recreation Center
• Folwell Recreation Center
• Fuller Recreation Center
• Harrison Recreation Center
• Kenwood Community Center
• Lake Hiawatha Recreation Center
• Longfellow Recreation Center
• Loring Community Arts Center
• Luxton Recreation Center
• Lyndale Farmstead Recreation Center
• Lynnhurst Recreation Center
• Matthews Recreation Center
• McRae Recreation Center
• Northeast Recreation Center
• North Commons Recreation Center
• Painter Recreation Center
• Pershing Recreation Center
• Phillips Community Center
• Powderhorn Recreation Center
• Webber Community Center
• Windom Northeast Recreation Center
• Windom South Recreation Center

The state says just more 375,000 Minnesota workers spend at least part of their shift outside. That does not include farmers or anyone else who is self-employed. Read more here.  

Imagine trying to sleep this week without air conditioning. That's the uncomfortable reality for thousands across the Twin Cities, including nearly all the people that live in public housing. Read more here.

A stretch of a Twin Cities highway buckled Tuesday evening as the region slides into a heatwave.  

The Minnesota Department of Transportation says both lanes of eastbound Highway 610 in Maple Grove – between Interstate 94 and Elm Creek Boulevard – will be closed for several hours as crews work on repairing the damaged pavement.

Thermometers cracked 90 degrees for a second day in a row in St. Paul, making for a memorable Tuesday at Como Zoo. Read more here.

Blueberry Fields of Stillwater may have just closed for the summer, with the heat expected to spoil the ripe berries. The owner of the fields basically launched a closeout sale Tuesday, giving bigger discounts for people picking bigger buckets. Read more here.

The extreme heat can be difficult to deal with for every member of the family, including pets.

The Minneapolis health department issued the following guidelines for keeping pets safe during the next few days:

• Keep pets inside and out of the direct sun.
• Make sure pets have a continuous supply of clean, cool water.
• Never leave pets unattended in a parked car for any amount of time. On a warm day, the temperature in a car can exceed 120 degrees in a matter of minutes – even with the windows partially open. A pet can quickly suffer brain damage or die from heatstroke or suffocation.
• Protect pets' paws by avoiding hot pavement when out on walks.
• Don't overdo outdoor exercise or play.
• Take extra care with older pets and dogs with shorter noses.

[Click here for more Q&A on pets and heat.]

As Twin Cities residents steel themselves for dangerous heat in the coming days, Hennepin County has an online resource for those seeking refuge.

Click here to view a map of cooling spots, including including Salvation Army offices, libraries, malls, pools, beaches and more.

This summer's deadly heat waves have left people throughout the U.S. and Europe desperate for relief. It's urban centers that have felt the intense temperatures the most — and where experts say it's only expected to get worse. 

Pretty much every metropolitan area experiences this effect to some degree. About 85% of the U.S. population currently lives in metro areas, and the heat island effect is felt most intensely in New Orleans, New York City, Houston, San Francisco and Newark, New Jersey, according to a 2021 report by the nonprofit Climate Central. 

"Today, there are over 200 to 250 million people that experience temperatures of over 35ºC [95ºF] every summer, living in about 318 urban areas" across the U.S., environmental scientist and climate resilience specialist Deborah Brosnan said. "So, it's a lot of people experiencing it." 

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The fingerprints of climate change are all over the intense heat waves gripping the globe this month, a new study finds. Researchers say the deadly hot spells in the American Southwest and Southern Europe couldn't have happened without the continuing buildup of warming gases in the air.

These unusually strong heat waves are becoming more common, Tuesday's study said. The same research found the increase in heat-trapping gases, largely from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas has made another heat wave - the one in China - 50 times more likely and with the potential to occur every five years or so.

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A storm ripped through North Hudson, Wisconsin in just minutes Monday, leaving an apartment building in pieces. Residents say they've never experienced a storm of that magnitude before. Read more here.

Crews right now in Manitoba, as stretched thin as they are, say their only option is to watch and wait as the provinces's 200th wildfire of the season starts rages on. Read more here.

It's important to quench your thirst this week as temperatures soar. But no matter how hot it is outside, our bodies need to stay hydrated. Read more here.

As millions across America battle heat waves, Minnesota is bracing for its own week-long streak of temperatures, which can be dangerous if people don't take precautions. 

Prolonged exposure without any relief can lead to heat exhaustion or in the most serious cases, heat stroke. Click here to read more.

Extreme heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer in the U.S. Even when temperatures outside seem relatively low compared with what's been experienced in recent weeks, parked vehicles essentially become ovens under the sun's rays. 

So, how hot can a car get in the sun? All it takes is an 80-degree Fahrenheit day to bring the normal car temperature to triple digits. 

After just 20 minutes on an 80-degree day, the CDC says the inside of a car can hit 109 degrees Fahrenheit. After 40 minutes, it hits 118 degrees, and after an hour, it can hit 123 degrees.

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Xcel Energy says they have about 14,000 customers without power in the eastern Twin Cities metro area. Company spokesperson Theo Keith issued the following statement:

"Our crews are working to safely restore power as quickly as possible after storms with high winds, lightning and heavy downpours rolled through the East Metro at about 2:30 p.m. today. Approximately 14,000 customers in the East Metro were out of power because of the storms. We have more than 100 employees working in the area to assess damage and restore power."

Severe thunderstorm warnings are in effect for Dakota, Goodhue, and Rice counties in MN through 4 p.m.; Sherburne, and Wright counties in MN through 4:15 p.m.; Stearns County in MN through 5 p.m.; Dodge County in MN through 5:15 p.m.

Soaring heat and fine particulate matter in the air may double your risk of heart attack death, according to a new study.

For the study, published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation on Monday, researchers analyzed more than 200,000 heart attack deaths between 2015 and 2020 in a Chinese province that experiences four distinct seasons and a range of temperatures and pollution levels. 

The findings? Days of extreme heat, extreme cold or high levels of fine particulate matter air pollution were all "significantly associated" with the risk of death from a heart attack — and the greatest risk was seen on days with a combination of both extreme heat and high air pollution levels. Results showed women and older adults were particularly at risk.

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As dangerous heat moves in, those who live in the Twin Cities should be aware of the effects urban areas feel when it comes to extreme conditions. Experts call it the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect.

Population density plays a role as well.

"During periods of extreme heat, urban areas experience hotter temperatures due to the UHI effect. But, also, there's more population in these areas, and more people potentially vulnerable to the effects of heat," WCCO meteorologist Mike Augustyniak said.  

The following map shows the increased heat risk as it affects various areas around Minneapolis (click map to enlarge). 

[Click here to learn more.].

This week's heat is also causing the Salvation Army to open its doors. They are planning to have cooling centers available for those who need help.

The centers will be open during normal hours and all service centers will serve as cooling centers. Here is a list of all planned locations:

• Salvation Army Temple, 1604 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, (612) 721-1513
• Salvation Army Parkview, 2024 Lyndale Ave. N., Minneapolis, (612) 522-4871
• Salvation Army Noble, 10011 Noble Pkwy., Brooklyn Park, (763) 425-0517
• Salvation Army Eastside,1019 Payne Ave., St. Paul, (651) 776-8169
• Salvation Army Citadel, 401 West 7th Street, St. Paul, (651) 224-4316
• Salvation Army Lakewood, 2080 Woodlynn Ave., St. Paul, (651) 779-9177
• Salvation Army Central, 2727 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis, (612) 789-2858

More information can be found here.

Extreme heat events in Minnesota are already occurring and expected to become more common, more severe, and longer-lasting as our climate changes.

The Minnesota Department of Health has provided the following tip sheet for how to get through the week safely.

With dangerous heat forecast during this week's homestand against the Seattle Mariners, the Minnesota Twins say they're taking proper precautions to keep fans cool.

"The safety and well-being of Target Field guests is paramount at each and every Twins home game and ballpark event," the team said in a statement. "With this week's weather forecast, our guest services staff will be proactively monitoring our guests throughout the ballpark, and will be ready to relocate guests to cooler and/or indoor, air-conditioned locations as needed."  

[Click here to read the full story.]  

Extreme heat has been breaking records across Europe, Asia and North America, with millions of people sweltering in heat and humidity well above "normal" this summer.

Heat waves are becoming supercharged as the climate changes, lasting longer, becoming more frequent, and getting just plain hotter.

One question a lot of people are asking is: "When will it get too hot for normal daily activity as we know it, even for young, healthy adults?"

The answer goes beyond the temperature you see on the thermometer. It's also about humidity. Our research is designed to come up with the combination of the two, measured as "wet-bulb temperature." Together, heat and humidity put people at greatly increased risk, and the combination gets dangerous at lower levels than scientists previously believed.

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According to state health officials, signs of heat exhaustion include mild headache, lightheadedness, cool/pale skin with heavy sweating, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, fatigue, and weakness.

If a person shows signs of heat exhaustion, it's recommended to move them to a cooler place, have them drink cool water or sports drinks, lay them down, and call 911 if symptoms last for more than an hour.

However, heat stroke is a more serious proposition. The signs include throbbing headache, confusion, seizure, irritability, altered/loss of consciousness, oral body temp of 104 degrees and above, dry mouth, hot skin, nausea and vomiting.

[Click here for more information.]

With extreme heat on the way this week, many Minnesotans are expected to crank up their air conditioners.

All that AC use inevitably means more to pay in the energy bill. In fact, home cooling can account for about half of the summertime electric bill in Minnesota, according to Xcel Energy.

But there are ways to save while you cool down. 

First, make sure your air conditioner can work efficiently by replacing dirty filters and cleaning off the outdoor coils.

[Click here for the rest of the story.]