Smoky skies persist across Minnesota Saturday

Canadian wildfire smoke will persist across Minnesota on Saturday, creating hazy sunshine and poor air quality as we kick off the weekend. 

An air quality alert has been extended through Monday at noon. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has the latest AQI forecasts on its website.    

According to IQAir, Minneapolis' air quality on Saturday afternoon is ranked as the 13th worst among the world's major cities. Earlier on Saturday, Minneapolis was ranked third, and the city was ranked second throughout most of Friday.

Despite the air. Saturday will be comfortable with seasonal temperatures as afternoon highs climb to near 80 degrees.

As high pressure shifts east, winds will turn more southerly Sunday, helping to gradually clear out some of the smoke by Monday.

With some energy aloft, a few showers are expected across western Minnesota, but the Twin Cities stay dry. Clouds pick up a little more, knocking high temps back a touch into the upper 70s.

The metro will notice more humidity into next week, helping to turn the forecast a bit more active with several waves of energy sparking storm chances. Spotty showers are anticipated Sunday night into Monday.

Temps warm through the week and reach the upper 80s by Thursday and Friday.