Wildfire smoke engulfs the Twin Cities and rain isn't helping
Wildfire smoke engulfs the Twin Cities and rain isn't helping originally appeared on Bring Me The News.
The worst air quality in Minnesota Tuesday morning is in the Twin Cities metro area. Not even the morning rain is enough to prevent thick, near-surface smoke from reaching a "very unhealthy" level.
It literally smells like campfire in the Twin Cities. Why isn't the rain helping clear out the smoke? According to the National Weather Service, the smoke is arriving behind the cold front that is delivering the rain, so the smoke "filters right back down."
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The purple on the map below represents the areas experiencing "very unhealthy" air quality, which is level five of six on the Air Quality Index (AQI) scale.
With an AQI in the purple zone, people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teenagers are advised to avoid physical activities outdoors. Everyone else is urged to avoid strenuous outdoor activities, limit time outside and consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them.
The awful air quality is due to heavy smoke from wildfires in Canada that continue burning out of control.
And the smoke is going to stick around all day Tuesday, The HRRR forecasting model shows where near-surface smoke could be heaviest between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Take a look:
"The front will continue to slowly move from northwest to southeast throughout the day on Tuesday, with smoke impacts eventually becoming statewide," the MPCA and NWS say.
The air quality alert is in effect until noon Wednesday, at which point Minnesota is forecast to enjoy a beautiful day with clear, smoke-free skies with high temps in the 70s.
This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
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