Air Quality Alert In Effect for Northern Minnesota

(KNSI) – Northern Minnesota will be blanketed with another wave of heavy wildfire smoke for roughly the next 24 hours.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an air quality alert at 1:00 p.m. Thursday. It runs until 7:00 p.m. Friday, particularly along the North Shore along Lake Superior.

The alert covers the state’s northwest, north central, and northeast portions, ranging from East Grand Forks to Two Harbors. The alert expects the AQI to tip into the red category, meaning conditions are unhealthy for everyone, in the north central region. Roseau, Red Lake, and International Falls will bear the brunt of it. The northwest and northeast zones will be in the orange category, or soot and particulates in the air will register as unhealthy for sensitive groups.

The MPCA expects the smoke to retreat back into Canada after the latest cold front pushes through the region. The alert is in effect for what many consider the second official weekend of summer. Residents in central Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro typically sneak away to cabins and second homes for a long weekend this time of year.

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