ST PAUL, Minn — The Canadian wildfire smoke that triggered an air quality alert over the next two days for the entire state of Minnesota is not as bad as previously predicted.
On Thursday afternoon, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said the alert has been downgraded but it remains set to expire at 11 p.m. on Friday.
The alert area is no longer the red (everyone) Air Quality Index (AQI) category but orange (sensitive groups) and parts of the alert have been canceled for far southern Minnesota and the Arrowhead region.
Besides the Twin Cities, the MPCA listed some of the affected areas in their alert: Brainerd, Alexandria, Hinckley, St. Cloud, Ortonville, Bemidji, East Grand Forks, Moorhead, International Falls, Hibbing, Ely, Duluth, Roseau, and the tribal nations of Upper Sioux, Mille Lacs, Prairie Island, Leech Lake, Red Lake and Fond du Lac.
In conjunction with the drop in air quality, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will not issue any burning permits for the duration of the alert Thursday and Friday, and is highly discouraging campfires in an attempt to reduce additional air pollutants.
According to the MPCA, the winds will become southerly Friday afternoon and smoke will begin to disperse, at which point air quality is expected to improve.
Earlier this summer, the MPCA said Minnesota broke the previous record of air quality alerts when it marked its 23rd, passing the previous record from the summer of 2021.
Minnesota usually averages two or three alerts in a season.
The source for the most recent Canadian smoke that triggered an air alert in northern Minnesota is a wildfire burning near Lake Winnipeg, where the MPCA reported AQI levels of more than 300.
Those levels are considered the highest and very hazardous.
Smoke from the Canadian wildfires has been a reoccurring problem this summer.
MPCA listed certain groups that experience health effects from unhealthy air.
People who need to be especially mindful of the alerts include:
- People who have asthma or other breathing conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- People who have heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes
- Pregnant people
- Children and older adults
People with increased exposure include:
- People of all ages who do longer or more vigorous physical activity outdoors
- People who work outdoors, especially workers who do heavy manual labor
- People who exercise or play sports outdoors, including children
- People who don't have air conditioning and need to keep windows open to stay cool
- People in housing not tight enough to keep unhealthy air out, or who do not have permanent shelter.
Earlier this summer, Minnesota had the worst air quality in the country with an AQI hovering around 175. That's the highest AQI recorded in the Twin Cities since at least 1980, when records began. The highest AQI ever recorded in the state is from Red Lake Nation on July 20, 2021, according to the MPCA. On that day, the AQI was 259 in that region.
The MPCA is continuing to evaluate conditions and provides more information on their air quality conditions site.
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