Minnesota enduring country's worst air quality due to wildfire smoke, ozone
The MPCA says the AQI level in the Twin Cities Wednesday was the highest its been since the agency started keeping records in 1980.
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Joseph Dames joined the WCCO team during the winter of 2022. He is currently the weekday morning meteorologist. You can also catch him putting together weather, science, and other environmental stories during the week.
Born and raised in Illinois, just outside of Chicago, Joseph grew up in the small community of Plainfield. Plainfield is notorious for the 1990 F5 tornado, which started Joseph's interest in weather. Joseph stayed in the state of Illinois for his education and attended Eastern Illinois University with a concentration in broadcast meteorology.
Joseph spent seven years covering wildfires, ice storms, and atmospheric rivers in Portland, Oregon. As a fan of snow, he is excited to trade those in for winter forecasting.
You better believe he has a love for Chicago sports and, of course, that deep dish pizza. In his down time, Joseph spends his days and nights hitting the outdoors, enjoying live music, and trying all the different restaurants around the area.
Feel free to send in weather questions, photos, or weather and environmental story ideas to Joseph.
The MPCA says the AQI level in the Twin Cities Wednesday was the highest its been since the agency started keeping records in 1980.
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