>> ERIC: IT'S BEEN QUITE THE MINNESOTA SUMMER.

MOST OF THE STATE REMAINS IN AT LEAST MODERATE DROUGHT, IT'S HOTTER THAN IT'S BEEN IN DECADES, AND AIR QUALITY ALERTS DUE TO CANADIAN FIRES HAVE BECOME COMMONPLACE.

THE STATE FAIR IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.

DOES THAT MEAN WE'LL SOON HAVE SOME RELIEF FROM THIS SUMMER'S WEATHER?

LET'S ASK PAUL DOUGLAS, WEATHER MEDIA MOGUL EXTRAORDINAIRE.

WHEN HE'S NOT MAKING MONTHLY VISITS TO THE "ALMANAC" SET, YOU CAN HEAR HIM ON WCCO RADIO.

AND HE HEADS UP HIS OWN WEATHER COMPANY, PREDICT-IX.

BEFORE YOU NARRATE SOME SLIDES, WHAT ID WE GET LATE THIS AFTERNOON?

>> I JUST WANT TO SAY, IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE WITH CATHY WURZER AND ALBERT EINSTEIN.

I JUST -- I EVER IN MY MIND -- NEVER IMAGINED THAT IT WOULD COME TO THIS.

>> Eric: SUPERFICIAL.

>> I AM SUPERFICIAL.

>> Eric: I'M NOT A PIECE OF MEAT, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT FEELINGS, TOO.

[ Laughter ] >> PRIME RIB.

>> Cathy: OH, MY GOSH.

HEY, WE HAD A STORY.

THANK YOU FOR -- HEY, WE HAD A STORM.

THANK YOU FOR DRIVING THROUGH A STORM TO GET HERE.

>> I SHOULD NOT HAVE DRIVEN THE CONVERTIBLE.

THAT WAS A BIG MISTAKE.

I WAS WEARING MY HELMET.

IT ALL TURNED OUT OKAY.

GOLF BALL-SIZE HAIL, SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS.

FOUR-INCH HAIL IN DIAMETER IN DASSEL, THAT IS SERIOUS HAIL AND BENEFICIAL RAINS.

I THINK WHEN PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE SUMMER OF 2023, THEY'RE GOING TO THINK DROUGHT AND THEY'RE GOING O THINK SMOKE.

WE HAVE NOT HAD AIR QUALITY THIS BAD -- [ ROCK MUSIC ] >> Cathy: IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?

>> Eric: SMOKE ON THE WATER.

>> YES, YES, IT IS.

THE FIRST AND LAST TIME DEEP PURPLE WILL BE A PART OF THE "ALMANAC" PROGRAM.

>> Eric: RIGHT.

>> Cathy: THAT'S SO TRUE.

>> Eric: NARRATE SOME SLIDES, WILL YOU?

>> I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE.

THIS WAS THE VIEW FROM OUR CABIN, A LOT OF SMOKY RED SUNSETS.

AND, YES, ACCORDING TO THE -- [ MUSIC CONTINUING ] >> CRANK IT.

GO AHEAD AND CRANK IT.

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING ONCE.

WELL, MAYBE NOT.

ALL RIGHT.

WE'VE HAD 16 DAYS OF STATEWIDE AIR QUALITY ALERTS.

>> Cathy: WOW.

>> THE OLD RECORD WAS 13.

BACK IN 2021.

SO, YEAH, A LOT OF OZONE.

AND BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER, THIS IS NAPLES, FLORIDA.

MANY MINNESOTANS, WISCONSINITES FLEE TO SOUTH FLORIDA.

THIS NUMBER IS LOW.

I THINK IT'S UP TO 54 NOWADAYS WITH A HEAT INDEX ABOVE 100.

IN A ROW.

AND SOME OF THE -- I MEAN, THE SOUTHERN U.S. IS SUFFOCATING.

YES, IT GETS HOT IN THE SUMMER.

BUT THE EXTENT OF THE HEAT IS JUST UNPRECEDENTED.

I SAW A HEAT INDEX OF 123 IN TAMPA.

>> Cathy: THAT'S RIDICULOUS.

>> AND ALSO IN ORLANDO.

AND WATER TEMPERATURES AS WARM AS 101.

>> Cathy: COME ON.

>> FLORIDA EVERGLADES.

101.

MUCH BATH WATER.

>> Cathy: HOTTER THAN BATH WATER, WOW.

>> WHO KNOWS WHAT HURRICANE SEASON WILL BRING.

>> Cathy: YEAH.

>> YES, WE STILL HAVE A SEVERE DROUGHT.

ABOUT A THIRD OF THE STATE UNDER SEVERE DROUGHT, INCLUDING MUCH OF THE METRO.

POCKETS OF EXTREME DROUGHT NOW.

BRAINERD, St.

CLOUD AREA.

AND ROCHESTER.

IT CONTINUES TO GET WORSE.

SO, YEAH, TODAY'S RAIN HELPED, BUT WE NEED SIX, EIGHT, 10 INCHES F RAIN TO REALLY PULL OUT OF THE DROUGHT.

THE GOOD NEWS, BECAUSE OF THE DROUGHT, IT'S BEEN SO DRY, IT HAS NOT BEEN SWAMPY.

WE HAVEN'T HAD THE TROPICAL DEW POINTS.

WE'VE HAD ONLY SIX DAYS WITH A DEW POINT OVER 70.

NORMAL IS CLOSER TO ABOUT 19.

THAT'S THE FEWEST NUMBER OF REALLY SWEATY DAYS IN 30 YEARS.

I HAD TO LOOK HARD TO FIND SILVER LINING.

BUT IT'S BEEN A REAL SUMMER.

I KNOW WE WERE WONDERING AND WORRYING BACK IN APRIL.

75 DAYS OF 80s.

AND ONLY 1988 AND 934 HAD MORE 80-DEGREE DAYS TO DATE.

SO, YEAH, WE ARE GETTING A NICE LONG WARM SUMMER.

TOMORROW, THE BETTER LAKE DAY.

LOOKS LIKE LOW TO MID 80s.

METRO, 70s.

UPPER 70s UP NORTH.

GRAB TOMORROW, BECAUSE SUNDAY, ANOTHER CLIPPER COMING IN, HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK.

BUT IT WILL FEEL LIKE SEPTEMBER BY LATE SUNDAY AND MONDAY OF NEXT WEEK.

A STRONG HE WILL ANYONE YA, NOAA CAME OUT, 90% ODDS IT WILL LAST THROUGH THE WINTER.

HE WILL ANYONE YA.

ABOUT A 66% PROBABILITY THAT IT'S GOING TO BE A STRONG EL NINO.

AND IT COULD RIVAL OF '82-83 AND 97-98.

THERE'S A STRONG CORRELATION BETWEEN THE WARM PHASES IN THE PACIFIC AND MILDER WINTERS FOR THE UPPER MIDWEST MINNESOTA.

WILL IT SNOW?

YES, OF COURSE, BUT I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET 90 INCHES.

CUT THAT IN HALF.

MAYBE EVEN LESS THAN THAT.

AND I WANTED -- PEOPLE HAVE SAID, WELL, YEAH, IT WAS HOT DURING THE DUST BOWL DAYS.

AND IT WAS.

BUT THAT WAS A GREAT PLAINS REGIONAL HEAT WAVE.

AND YOU CAN SEE HE AREA OF THE 1930s HIGHLIGHTED.

IT'S BEEN A STEADY WARMING TREND.

OF AND THIS YEAR I THINK -- AND THIS YEAR, I THINK FOR THE FIRST TIME, GLOBAL TEMPERATURES 1.5 CELSIUS ABOUT 2.7 FAHRENHEIT, WARMER THAN AVERAGE.

THAT WAS THE LIMIT EVERYBODY WAS TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE STAY BELOW.

A LOT F CLIMATE SCIENTISTS ARE SCARED BECAUSE THINGS SEEM TO BE HAPPENING FASTER THAN THE MODELS PREDICTED.

AND WE'RE SEEING THE SYMPTOMS RIGHT NOW.

>> Eric: ALL I CAN SAY IS E EQUALS MC SQUARED.

PAUL DOUGLAS