Minnesota Weather: Air Quality Alert Extended For Northern Half Of State Until Wednesday Evening
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has extended the current air quality alert for the northern half of the state.
The air quality alert in the southern half of Minnesota expired as scheduled at 3 p.m. Tuesday, but the air quality alert will remain in northern Minnesota until 9 p.m. Wednesday.
"A significant and long duration air quality event has been occurring across Minnesota over the past several days. Smoke from Canadian wildfires has remained over most of Minnesota since Thursday. An area of high pressure has allowed for smoke across the southern half of Minnesota to clear, but smoke will continue to linger through Wednesday evening across northern Minnesota," the MPCA said in a release.
The air quality alert has been extended for the northern half of MN through 9pm Wednesday. The alert will be allowed to expire at 3pm today across the southern half of MN. Red and Orange AQI is forecasted in the alert area, with Yellow (Moderate) across the rest of MN. #MNwx #AQI pic.twitter.com/ZlwcnMwZ0b
— MN Air Quality Index (@mpca_aqi) August 3, 2021
Meteorologist Riley O'Connor says the haze will start to thin in the Twin Cities by Tuesday evening.
The wildfire haze has hung over Minnesota since last week. Over the weekend, conditions fell to levels considered dangerous even for healthy people.
More than 100 wildfires are burning in northwest Ontario, which is directly north of Minnesota.