Elevated Ozone, Wildfire Smoke Prompt Air Quality Alerts In MN

An air quality alert is in effect for southeast Minnesota due to elevated levels of ozone, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

The alert for the Twin Cities region is in effect from noon Wednesday until 8 p.m. Rochester and the tribal nation of Prairie Land is also included in the alert.

Northern Minnesota is under an air quality alert due to wildfire smoke making its way into the state from Canada. The alert from northern Minnesota is in effect until 6 a.m. Thursday.

Air quality is expected to be in the orange category in both northern and southeast Minnesota. The orange level is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups and people in these groups should avoid spending prolonged time outdoors, the MPCA said.

Wildfire smoke is expected to reach St. Cloud by the evening and some smoke may move into southeast Minnesota by Wednesday evening. According to the MPCA, smoke will linger over much of the state Thursday but concentrations should be below the orange level by Thursday morning.

The elevated ozone levels in the Twin Cities should decrease in the evening, the MPCA said.

Unhealthy air can harm both those who are more sensitive to it and those who are exposed to larger amounts.

The MPCA has provided the following breakdown of those considered to be in sensitive groups:

• 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.

According to the MPCA, those 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.

You can find more information from the MPCA about how to reduce exposure to unhealthy air and what to do if you experience health effects due to the air quality.