Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Climate Cast at the fair Wednesday afternoon

Polar explorer Ann Bancroft among our guests

DNR Fish pond at Minnesota State Fair
DNR Fish pond at Minnesota State Fair
Paul Huttner/MPR News

Polar explorer Ann Bancroft has seen it all. Ice. Snow. Bitter Arctic cold. And she’s seen dramatic changes in the Arctic as earth’s climate warms.

Ann Bancroft
Ann Bancroft
Courtesy of Ann Bancroft Foundation

I’ll talk with Ann and Minnesota Sea Grant Program Leader Jessie Schomberg Wednesday on a special hourlong show about climate change and outdoor recreation in Minnesota. Join us in the audience Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the MPR booth the corner of Judson and Nelson at the Minnesota State Fair.

MPR at the Fair 2019
MPR at the Fair 2019
MPR

We’ll talk about how climate change in Minnesota is impacting outdoor recreation. We’ll explore how Minnesota’s outdoor economy is adapting. And, as always, we’ll talk about climate solutions and the opportunities they generate.

Rainy fair Monday

It’s interesting to see how daily weather is impacting attendance numbers at the Minnesota State Fair. Highs in the 70s and favorable skies drove record crowds Friday and Saturday. Monday’s deluge trimmed crowd size by nearly 100,000 people Monday over Sunday.

I’ve added daily high temperatures (blue) and rainfall (green) on the chart below.

Minnesota State Fair attendance
Minnesota State Fair attendance
Minnesota State Fair

Haliers

Tuesday’s expected thundershowers dumped some feisty hailstorms around the Twin Cities. The fairgrounds got pelted too. Most of the hail was pea-sized.