How Will Tropical Storm Idalia Impact Us In Minnesota + Wisconsin?
It has been a super hot month here in the Northland, with temperatures remaining well above average for this time of the year all across Minnesota. While we continue to see record-breaking heat this time of year, other parts of the country are dealing with some very severe weather.
Parts of the East Coast have been dealing with Hurricane Idalia, which at the time of writing has been downgraded to a tropical storm. The storm has hit Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. While the East Coast is far from the midwest, both hurricanes and tropical storms can impact us in the Northland.
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I reached out to my friend WDIO Meteorologist Brandon Weatherz to see if we will be seeing any impacts from this particular storm here in the Duluth area and which impacts, if any, we can see when hurricanes and storms are surging in the U.S.
Will we see impacts from (now) Tropical Storm Idalia in the Northland?
He told me that the Northland "shouldn’t see much influence from the remnants of Idalia" but that if we did or if rain was in the forecast, "some heavy downpours would be possible" for our area. That would be the extent of it.
What impacts, if any, can a hurricane or tropical storm have on us in the Northland?
As for how hurricanes or tropical storms can impact us in the Northland in general, here's what he had to say:
Hurricanes can sometimes impact us here in the Northland if they either end up influencing the overall weather pattern in a way that affects us, or if the Gulf moisture they tap into is sent this far north.
When has a hurricane impacted us in the Northland?
The most recent example I could find of this is Hurricane Michael back in 2018. At the time, we saw rain and a few days of wet weather until the storm moved out, pushing the cold front right along with it. Hurricane Florence also had an indirect impact on the Northland that same year.
What is in the weather forecast for Labor Day weekend?
As Brandon pointed out, this won't be the case this time around with Tropical Storm Idalia. In fact, we are looking at a dry stretch of weather without much to talk about in terms of precipitation or storms. What everyone is talking about is the major heat wave expected for Labor Day weekend. Stay cool!