Most of Minnesota placed under air quality alert through Friday
Jul. 28—Smoke from Canadian wildfires will cause air quality to dip in most of Minnesota over the next couple of days, according to state officials.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency placed nearly the entire state under an air quality alert from 10 p.m. Wednesday through 3 p.m. Friday, warning residents to avoid unnecessary outdoor physical exertion and local sources of pollution, such as busy roads and wood fires.
Air quality in the Twin Cities is expected to drop from moderate overnight Wednesday to levels considered unhealthy for sensitive groups — including people with respiratory conditions, children and the elderly — on Thursday, the MPCA said.
Air quality is expected to improve Friday as the direction of the wind changes, but smoke could return over the weekend, according to the MPCA's forecast.
