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Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News
Paul Huttner

Ontario wildfire smoke blowing into northern Minnesota; air quality alert this weekend

Smoke is likely to reach ground level this weekend across much of northern Minnesota

Smoke plume drifting over Lake Superior Friday
Smoke plume drifting over Lake Superior Friday
NOAA/College of Dupage Weather Lab

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The persistent dryness across Minnesota and parts of Canada is starting to evolve into an active wildfire season. Wildfires are raging in parts of Canada.

Two significant blazes burning in Ontario north of Minnesota are pumping out a massive plume of wildfire smoke. You can clearly see the massive smoke plume drifting from southern Ontario over Lake Superior in the GOES-16 visible satellite loop at the top of this post.

Here’s more detail on those Ontario fires from Natural Resources Canada:

Ontario:

• Fort Frances 47 – estimated 407 hectares in size and currently listed as out of control.

• Kenora 51 – estimated 28,454 hectares in size and currently listed as out of control.

NOAA’s HRRR near-surface smoke product shows the smoke plume drifting into northeast Minnesota, then spreading across much of the northern half of Minnesota this weekend.

Air quality alert

The smoke plume this weekend will create some vivid sunrises and sunsets across northern Minnesota. But it will also reach ground level in many locations. That has prompted an air quality alert for most of northeast Minnesota from 6 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Monday.

Air quality alert
Air quality alert
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for northeast Minnesota, effective Saturday, July 10, beginning at 6 a.m. through Monday, July 12, at 6 a.m. The affected area includes Duluth, Ely, Hibbing, International Falls, Two Harbors, Grand Marais, and Grand Portage, and the tribal areas of Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs, and Red Lake.

Smoke from wildfires located north of the Canadian border in Ontario and Manitoba will be transported by northerly winds circulating around high pressure into the northeast part of the state. Heavy smoke is expected to arrive Saturday morning and remain over the area into Monday morning. During this time, fine particle levels are expected to be in the Orange AQI category, a level that is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. The lake breeze along Lake Superior will help bring heavier smoke down towards the surface, then the smoke will tend to drift westward towards north central Minnesota. On Monday, winds will turn out of the south and steer the smoke northward into Canada.