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Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News
Paul Huttner

Wildfire smoke wave arrives Saturday, should stay mostly aloft

Air quality should remain good at ground level

Smoke plume drifting over the Dakotas Friday
Smoke layer drifting over the Dakotas Friday.
NOAA/College of Dupage

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Our beautiful summery September sky will have a whitish tint again Saturday.

Another plume of thick wildfire smoke moving through the Dakotas will drift across most of Minnesota Saturday.

Smoke has reached ground level in the Dakotas.

Smoke above Minnesota Saturday

NOAA’s GOES-16 visible satellite loop at the top of this post clearly shows the thicker smoke over the Dakotas drifting southwest Minnesota late Friday afternoon.

NOAA’s HRRR vertically integrated smoke product shows the smoke layer will cover most of Minnesota Saturday. Here’s the forecast for 7 a.m. Saturday. Notice all but far northern Minnesota is expected to see a significant smoke layer aloft.

NOAA HRRR model vertically integrated smoke product
NOAA HRRR model vertically integrated smoke product forecast for 7 a.m. Saturday.
NOAA

Air quality forecast is good

Most of the smoke layer will remain aloft over Minnesota this weekend. A little smoke may reach ground level as a cold front pushes through Saturday night.

Here at ground level, the air quality is forecast to remain good this weekend.

Air quality forecast for the Twin Cities
Air quality forecast for the Twin Cities.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Here’s more detail from the MPCA.

Today [Friday] is warm and mostly sunny across Minnesota. Air quality is Green (Good) across the state. Some smoke from western wildfires has blown in aloft, and some smoke is making it down to the surface in the Dakotas. A cold front will push through the state tonight and early tomorrow, though the push of cooler air will be delayed and temperatures will rise into the 70s to near 80. Downward motion associated with the front could draw some smoke to the surface, mainly in southern Minnesota. Despite the smoke, air quality should remain Green in most areas. The cooler air finally pushes in for Saturday night and Sunday.

Our smoke layer above Minnesota will produce a whitish-tinted sky, and some reddish sunrises and sunsets this weekend.