Western smoke rides into Minnesota; climate change worsens U.S. fire season

Smoke has entered the skies over Minnesota again due to western wildfires and upper-level winds. We’ll also feel some western heat through Thursday.

Wildfire smoke rides in on the wind

You likely noticed that hazy skies have returned. The smoke makes for beautiful sunsets but can also affect air quality if it’s low enough in the atmosphere.

Luckily for Minnesota, this smoke is thousands of feet up, wafting in from Idaho and Montana wildfires. There are air quality concerns there, closer to the fires. They’ve had, quite literally, scorching heat in the west.

Below is a map showing temperature anomalies for the past seven days.

Countless places have hit triple digits multiple days in a row. That kind of heat, combined with an already drought-stricken West, is sure to worsen a fire weather season that typically peaks in late summer in areas of Idaho and Montana.

An above-normal September fire season is forecast this year.

That means when the upper-level winds are blowing the right way, we may have smoke in the Minnesota skies on and off for a while.

Climate change is making fire season worse

The conditions that make for a more severe fire season have gotten worse as the West becomes hotter and drier.

Spring and summer in particular have seen big increases in “fire weather days.” Days that make fire season particularly worse include hot, dry and windy days.

Some western heat in Minnesota

We’ll also be the beneficiary of some of that western heat making its way into Minnesota. The heat dome is stretching itself into the Upper Midwest, pushing our temperatures up to readings 10 to 15 degrees above normal. It’s a far cry from the triple digits out west.

Our heat will break with a blast of cool air and showers moving in Friday. The west won’t be so lucky just yet.