Craig Edwards Forecasts the Twins

Photo: Marshall Franklin Long

“Am I living the dream, or what?” meteorologist Craig Edwards asks rhetorically, opening a conversation about his latest job forecasting the weather for the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Edwards, who worked as the chief meteorologist for the Twin Cities National Weather Service Office and had a stint as a meteorologist for Minnesota Public Radio (he still occasionally fills in), provides game-day weather forecasting services to the Minnesota Twins during home games at Target Field. The job happens to combine his two greatest passions: baseball and weather.

Edwards, who lives in Eden Prairie, reports to the stadium a few hours before each game, and settles into a small office near the field, where he creates an official weather report before the game, letting officials know if there’s any reason to think about delaying the game or whether pre-game activities should be able to happen as scheduled. He also keeps the grounds crew informed about any noteworthy approaching or changing weather patterns during the game, so they can pass along pertinent information to the umpires; once a game begins, the decision as to whether or not to call or delay a game is in their hands.

During the Twins’ inaugural season at Target Field, only two games had to be postponed or canceled due to the weather—a statistic Edwards wouldn’t have forecasted. “I was going into this thinking April and May would be very problematic,” says Edwards, who suspected that seven to eight games throughout the season would’ve had interruptions. “I think it was a very charmed season in regard to the weather.” Edwards reports for duty again this season.

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In addition to watching the skies, Craig Edwards is also an author. Find his memoir, Nature’s Messenger: Memoirs of a prophetic meteorologist, at Seedlings Gifts and Books in Chanhassen or on amazon.com.

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