Today’s Forecast: Heat, Humidity, Smoke, And Buckling Roads

Man, is it hot! It's creating some very dangerous conditions for the upper Midwest. Wildfires in Northern Minnesota are exploding with all the heat, wind, and dried timber igniting.

Some of these wildfires are in such remote areas that they may not be completely out until snow falls, according to FOX 21. Evacuation zones are being expanded, and anyone evacuating is asked to leave their exterior lights on their home so firefighters can find the houses through thick smoke.

The smoke is causing an air quality index alert for Northern Minnesota.

Heat indexes are over 100 degrees, and that brings another issue we don't often see in Minnesota and Wisconsin: concrete blowouts.

Concrete can buckle under extreme heat. It expands with the high heat and has nowhere to go, so it will buckle upwards and crack. This can create a serious hazard on freeways and highways when cars are traveling at high speeds.

In this post from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, you can see cars jump over a buckle.

Yesterday, just south of Superior, Wisconsin, concrete buckled on Highway 53 near the weigh station.

When air temperatures get about 90 degrees, the concrete in the sun can actually reach over 135 degrees.

Concrete can buckle for other reasons, like engineering failures or soil movement, but on these hot days, thermal expansion is the cause.

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Keep your eye on the road, buckle up, slow down, and drive the speed limit. Be especially aware on hot days, and stay safe on the roads.