3 days ago
Air quality alert extended to noon Wednesday throughout Minnesota
The entire state of Minnesota continues to be affected by wildfire smoke from Canada, triggering an air quality alert through noon on Wednesday, according to officials.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency officials say a band of heavy ground-level smoke has moved into the state behind a cold front. The smoke will trail the cold front as it moves from northwestern Minnesota to the southeast. The Twin Cities and central Minnesota could experience ground-level smoke by Monday night. The smoke was expected to reach southeastern Minnesota by Tuesday morning. Conditions across the state should improve Wednesday.
Parts of the state are in the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's most severe 'hazardous' category because of the levels of fine particles in the air:
• Northwestern Minnesota is in the maroon category, meaning the air quality is hazardous for everyone, with the potential for serious heart and lung effects such as asthma attack, heart attack, or stroke. Most people will experience irritated eyes, nose and throat, coughing, chest tightness or shortness of breath.
• North central Minnesota is in the purple category, or very unhealthy for everyone.
• Central and northeastern Minnesota, including the Twin Cities, is in the red category, or unhealthy for everyone.
• Southwestern and southeastern Minnesota is in the orange category, or unhealthy for sensitive groups.
More than 25,000 residents in three provinces of Canada have been evacuated because of wildfires. Most of the evacuated residents were from Manitoba, which declared a state of emergency last week.
Water bombers fighting the fires in Canada have been intermittently grounded due to heavy smoke and interference from drones.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service deployed an air tanker to Alberta and said it would send 150 firefighters and equipment to Canada.
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