Smoky haze continues; overnight T-showers, warmer again next week

Chalk up another lost blue sky day in Minnesota to wildfire smoke. Our Minnesota sky should be bright blue today. Instead, we're seeing a faint sun through a milky white haze.

Massive plume

Massive wildfires in Alberta are belching out thick smoke plumes again. The plumes are clearly visible on satellite loops. You can see a narrow, concentrated smoke feed from Canada through Montana, North Dakota and right into northern Minnesota Friday afternoon.

'Maxed out'

The smoke is so thick in Calgary, Alberta that it has maxed out air quality readings at 10+.

Special air quality statement in effect for:

• City of Calgary

Smoke from wildfires in northern Alberta is causing poor air quality and reducing visibility over much of the province.

The thickest smoke currently extends from northeastern British Columbia through Grande Prairie, Whitecourt, Drayton Valley, Red Deer, Calgary and southern Alberta. The foothills should see improvement this evening with the rest of southern Alberta improving Saturday.

Northern Alberta will remain in areas of smoke this weekend.

Individuals may experience symptoms such as increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath. Children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk.

People with lung diseases, such as asthma and COPD, can be particularly sensitive to air pollution. They will generally experience more serious health effects at lower levels. Pollution can aggravate their diseases, leading to increased medication use, doctor and emergency room visits, and hospital visits.

Stay inside if you have breathing difficulties. Find an indoor place that's cool and ventilated. Using an air conditioner that cools and filters air may help. If you open the windows you may let in more polluted air. If your home isn't air-conditioned, consider going to a public place (library, shopping mall, recreation centre) that is air-conditioned.

Further downstream air quality values are in the unhealthy category in Montana.

In Minnesota, AQI readings are mostly in the moderate range, bordering on unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Climate change link

The frequency of large wildfires over 1,000 acres in the west has tripled since 1970.

Here's more detail from Climate Central.

The annual average wildfire season in the Western U.S. is 105 days longer, burns six times as many acres, and has three times as many large fires (more than 1,000 acres) than it did in the 1970s. Climate change is expected to continue increasing temperatures and reduce moisture across the West, in part by causing a smaller and faster melting snowpack. These changes will further pre-condition Western landscapes for more, and more intense, wildfires.

For Minnesota, that means many more smoke days downwind. We're literally losing what used to be 'blue sky days' each summer in Minnesota now as western wildfires increase.

Spotty overnight thundershowers

Friday was the warmest day of the year so far for many southern Minnesota towns including the Twin Cities, which hit 88 degrees late Friday afternoon. A cool front pushes southern overnight. Scattered T-Showers will bring spotty downpours, lightning, and thunder. The stronger cells may produce hail and gusty winds, but severe weather is unlikely. Most models project the best chance for rain int he Twin Cities after 10 pm, and even more likely after midnight.

Cool weekend, summer again next week

Northwest breezes Saturday cool us off behind the front. Highs around 80 return next week.