Nasty Canadian Wildfire Smoke To Hit Minnesota This Weekend

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Smoke from Canadian wildfires is expected to drift into the Twin Cities area and much of Minnesota this weekend, creating poor air quality conditions that could impact people across the state, including in the metro.

While northeast Minnesota is already under an air quality alert through Friday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued a new alert that begins Saturday morning and covers a large portion of west central, north central, northwest, and central Minnesota through Sunday evening.

Though the Twin Cities are not currently included in the MPCA's air quality alert zone, a Hazardous Weather Outlook from the National Weather Service warns that smoke could move into the metro late Friday night and linger into Saturday, leading to degraded air quality.

According to the MPCA, the weekend smoke event could push fine particle pollution into the red air quality index (AQI) category, which is considered unhealthy for everyone. That level of pollution can affect even healthy individuals, not just sensitive groups.

"Air quality is expected to reach the red AQI category," the MPCA warned, "a level considered unhealthy for everyone."

Heavy smoke is being carried into Minnesota on northwest winds from wildfires burning across Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The sky may appear hazy, and the smell of smoke may be noticeable even at a distance.

Health officials advise all Minnesotans to take precautions:

• Limit or avoid outdoor physical activity, especially prolonged or strenuous exertion.
• Sensitive groups, including children, older adults, and people with asthma, heart disease, or diabetes, should stay indoors as much as possible.
• Those without access to clean indoor air or who work outdoors may be more exposed and at higher risk.

Poor air quality can cause symptoms such as eye, nose, and throat irritation, coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and in severe cases, asthma attacks or heart problems.

Officials also urge residents to take steps to reduce pollution during smoke events by minimizing outdoor burning, reducing vehicle use, and avoiding unnecessary idling.

The MPCA continues to monitor conditions and may expand the alert zone if the smoke spreads further into the state.

For ongoing updates, residents are encouraged to monitor airnow.gov and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency website.