Western half of MN under red air quality alert from Canada wildfire smoke
The Brief
Smoke from wildfires in Canada have led to an air quality alert for all of Minnesota.
The western half of the state is under a red air quality index warning, meaning the air is unhealthy for everyone to breathe.
State officials have an air quality alert in place until at least Monday, June 2, at 6 p.m.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Unhealthy smoke concentrations in Minnesota have shifted to the western part of the state while the air quality alert remains in place.
Wildfires in Canada continue to burn, leading to smoke blowing into the state.
READ MORE: Minnesota weather: Warm and hazy Sunday, air quality alert continues
What's next
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency shared the following images for the air quality forecast in the coming days.
The air quality index (AQI) ratings are listed as:
Red, meaning unhealthy air for the public and especially unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Orange, meaning unhealthy air for sensitive groups.
Yellow, meaning acceptable air quality with the possibility of risk for sensitive groups.
What they're saying
All of Minnesota is under an air quality alert Sunday morning, with parts of western Minnesota under a code red air quality index (AQI), meaning the air is unhealthy for everyone due to low levels of wildfire smoke.
The smoke is concentrated enough for people to see and smell.
MPCA officials said in an update that, "Many large wildfires are burning across several Canadian provinces. They are producing large amounts of smoke, and will continue doing so over the coming days as fire weather conditions remain favorable. A shift in the large-scale wind pattern has directed this smoke towards and into Minnesota, which will be the case, predominantly, into next week. This sets the stage for a long-duration significant wildfire smoke event for Minnesota."
The current air quality alert is set to remain in place until at least 6 p.m. on Monday.
Northwest winds in the forecast show there are still chances for smoke intrusions despite rain and thunderstorm activity anticipated from Tuesday into Wednesday.
More information from the MPCA can be found here.
The Source
This story uses information from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency website and the FOX 9 weather team.
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