NEXT Weather: MPCA downgrades air quality alert in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on Thursday downgraded the air quality alert issued for the state.
Previously, the MPCA had a large swath of the state, including much of eastern Minnesota and the Twin Cities, possibly moving into the red category Thursday through Friday. Additionally, the entire state was under at least an orange-level alert.
Now, the air quality alert will only reach the orange category, and southwest and southeast Minnesota have been eliminated from the alert altogether.
RELATED: The science behind declaring air quality alerts in Minnesota
What remains of the air quality alert will stay in effect until 11 p.m. Friday. Orange-level air quality is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said this is the 16th air quality alert of the year, which breaks the previous record of 13 set in 2021. Thursday and Friday will mark the 42nd and 43rd alert days, which also breaks 2021's record of 42. In an average year, Minnesota sees one to three alerts, MPCA said.
The high in the Twin Cities will be around 84 degrees Friday, and still mostly sunny.
A heatwave starts Saturday, with temperatures climbing above 90 and staying there through at least the middle of next week.
