Smoke Has Choked MN Air For Days, But Relief Is Coming, Slowly

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — After several days of thick wildfire smoke blanketing Minnesota, air quality is finally starting to improve, but not fast enough for anyone hoping for a breath of fresh air.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's latest forecast shows that most of the state, including the Twin Cities, remains under an Air Quality Alert. The Air Quality Index (AQI) for particle pollution (PM2.5) in the metro area remains in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category as of Sunday, with only a slow decline expected through Monday.

A shift in winds from the south is helping to disperse the smoke, but forecasters warn that haze may linger into Monday, and yet another batch of smoke could move in from the Great Lakes by late Monday or Tuesday, especially in eastern and northeast Minnesota.

Here’s the Twin Cities air quality outlook:

• Sunday, Aug. 3: AQI 107 — Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
• Monday, Aug. 4: Still Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
• Tuesday–Wednesday: Expected improvement to Moderate levels

The MPCA said areas across the state started Saturday in the Red/Unhealthy AQI range. Since then, conditions have improved to Orange in some areas, but the smoke has spread as far south as Missouri and Tennessee, meaning cleanup is slow.

Meanwhile, as the smoke thins, stronger sunlight could slightly increase ozone levels on Monday due to ozone precursors in the smoke.

Extended Twin Cities Forecast (via NWS):

• Sunday: Partly sunny, high near 80. South southeast wind 5–10 mph.
• Sunday Night: Areas of smoke. Partly cloudy, low around 63.
• Monday: Areas of smoke in the morning. Mostly sunny, high near 82.
• Monday Night: Partly cloudy, low around 67.
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, high near 83. Slight chance of PM showers and storms (30%).
• Tuesday Night: 40% chance of showers/storms. Low around 70.
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny, high near 89.
• Wednesday Night: 20% chance of showers/storms. Low around 74.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, high near 90.
• Thursday Night–Saturday: Daily storm chances (30–50%), with highs in the mid-80s to near 90.