>> ERIC: WILDFIRES ACROSS THE BORDER IN CANADA LED TO RECORD BAD AIR QUALITY IN THE TWIN CITIES EARLIER THIS WEEK.

DROUGHT CONTINUES TO SPREAD AND DEEPEN ACROSS MINNESOTA.

AND THERE'S NEWS OF AN EL NIÑO BREWING.

PAUL DOUGLAS JOINS US FROM A UNDISCLOSED LOCATION FOR HIS MONTHLY WEATHER CHAT.

WHEN HE'S NOT ON "ALMANAC," YOU CAN FIND PAUL'S WORK IN THE "STAR TRIBUNE," HEAR HIM ON WCCO RADIO, OR ASK HIM ABOUT HIS WEATHER COMPANY PRAEDICTIX.

WE'RE GOING TO STOP WITH THE FANCY PATTERN TONIGHT AND GO WRIECT TO, YOU GOT SO MUCH GOING TONIGHT.

LET'S GET RIGHT TO IT.

PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

HI, CATHY.

GREETINGS FROM PELICAN LAKE.

NO CAMP FIRE TONIGHT.

OF COURSE -- LOOK, IT'S DRY OUT THERE.

BURN BANS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA.

BUT THIS IS PELICAN LAKE.

LET ME GIVE YOU A QUICK GLIMPSE OF THE LAKE.

NOT SURE IF YOU CAN SEE IT.

IT'S RIGHT OVER THERE.

IT'S STILL KIND OF SMOKY RIGHT NOW.

THERE IS A PAUL PALL OF SMOKE.

I WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE EARLIER THIS WEEK.

I TOOK A PHOTO AND IT WAS A SIGHT.

IT -- DID NOT RETOUCH THAT.

A FIRE ENGINE RED SUNSENT.

AND ANOTHER IMAGE FROM UP AT THE CABIN LAST NIGHT.

AND MANY OF US HAVE DEALT WITH THE WORST WILD FIRE IN RECENT MEMORY.

IT'S CERTAINLY WORST IN THE TWIN CITIES.

YEAH, THE SMOKY SUMMER OF 2023.

AND THE WORST AIR QUALITY IN THE TWIN CITIES HISTORY.

WHICH DATES BACK SEVERAL DECADES.

AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE PLUMES OF SMOKE HEADING SOUTH.

VERY HARD TO PREDICT IN ADVANCE IN DAY-TO-DAY.

WE CAN GIVE ABOUT A ONE TO TWO DAY NOTICE.

BUT CHAOS THEORY IN TERMS OF WILL LIGHTNING TRIGGER MORE FIRES UPWIND.

WILL RAIN PUT OUT HOSE FIRES HUNDREDS OF MILES UPWIND?

AGAIN, WE HAVE 18 AIR QUALITY ALERTS, STATEWIDE.

THE RECORD IS 20 BACK IN 2021.

WE'RE GOING TO SMACK THE RECORD.

WHAT HAPPENS IN CANADA DOES NOT STAY IN CANADA.

ALL RIGHT.

SO THE OTHER QUESTION THAT I'M GETTING, PAUL, WHERE'S THE RAIN?

WHERE ARE THE THUNDERSTORMS?

WE CAN LIVE WITHOUT THE TORNADOES AND ALL THAT STUFF.

BUT CERTAINLY WE'VE SEEN FAR FEWER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS AND TORNADO WARNINGS.

WE'VE SEEN FOUR TORNADO WARNINGS STATEWIDE.

LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME, WE HAD PICKS UP 80 TORNADOES WARNINGS.

THE GOOD NEWS, SEVERE WEATHER WENT OFF A CLIFF, BUT SO DID THE RAIN THUNDERSTORMS BRING.

MODERATE DROUGHT NOW.

AND THERE'S EVEN A -- FAR NORTH METRO.

AND I HAVE A HUNCH BASED ON THE MAPS THAT THE DROUGHT IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO AFFECT US.

ACCORDING TO THE WEATHER SERVICE, WE'VE HAD A QUARTER INCH OF RAIN IN THE LAST 30 DAYS.

THAT IS THE LEAST RAIN DURING THE SAME PERIODS SINCE RECORDS WERE STARTED, ACCURATE RECORDS, BACK IN 1871.

WE SHOULD BE PICKING UP AN INCH EVERY SINGLE WEEK.

THE OCEANS WORLDWIDE, UNUSUALLY WARM.

WARMER THAN WE'VE EVER SEEN THEM.

THE TEMPORARY ANOMALIES, NOT ONLY IN THE PACIFIC WITH EL NINO, BUT ALSO IN THE ATLANTIC.

THAT MAY NOT BODE WELL WHEN IT COMES TO HURRICANES.

AND ONE MORE LIKE AT JUST HOW UNUSUAL THIS IS.

BY A LOT OF METEOROLOGISTS AND CLIMATOLOGISTS ARE SHAKING THEIR HEADS IN WONDER.

A TRUE TEMPORARY TEMPERATURE SPIKE, WHAT'S GOING ON, IN ADDITION TO THE -- THE ATMOSPHERE IS IN FACT WARMING.

BUT NOW WITH EL NINO, SEEM TO BE JUICING THE WARMING.

TURNING UP THE THERMOSTAT EVEN HIGHER.

AND THIS COULD BE A SUPER EL NINO LINGERING RIGHT INTO THE WINTER MONTHS, WHICH TENDSES TO MEAN STORMIER WEATHER, COOLER WEATHER, WETTER WEATHER, BUT DRYER AND WARMER FOR UPPER WISCONSIN, THE UPPER MIDWEST.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE MAY SEE RIGHT INTO THE WINTER.

I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET 90 INCHES OF SNOW FLEX WINTER.

ENJOY THIS RELATIVELY COOL REST PIT.

WELL INTO THE 90s.

NEXT WEEK.

AT LEAST LOW TO MID-90s.

BUT UNBELIEVABLE IN TERMS OF THE SMOKE, ERIC, CATHY, SOMETHING WE HAVE NOT SEEN HERE IN THE TWIN CITIES.

MY HUNCH IS THAT IT'S GOING TO BE PARTLY SMOKY FOR THE REST OF THE SUMMER.

EVERY NOW AND THEN, WE'RE GOING TO BE TRACKING A SMOKE FRONT COMING DOWN FROM THE BORDER.

SO VERY -- >> Cathy: AH, A SMOKE FRONT.

AND HEN OF COURSE HOT NEXT WEEK.

ALL RIGHT, ENJOY YOUR TIME AT THAT UNDISCLOSES LOCATION.

ENJOY.

SEE YOU LATER, PAUL.