'Unhealthy for everyone' air expected from East Grand Forks to Duluth to Twin Cities
Temperatures will be near 90 in southern Minnesota
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Updated 12:30 p.m.
Air quality alerts are posted Wednesday for much of Minnesota and have been extended until 6 a.m. Friday. That includes a huge swath of Minnesota from East Grand Forks to Duluth to the Twin Cities that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency now expects to reach the red level, “which is unhealthy for everyone.”
In the south-central and southeastern regions of the state, it’s expected to be “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
Hot Wednesday south with smoky skies
In a familiar pattern this summer, air quality alerts are posted for most of Minnesota Wednesday. We all have smoke aloft from Canada making the skies hazy and that smoke is making its way to the surface in northern Minnesota.
In southern Minnesota, the main concern is surface level ozone, which increases with hot, sunny weather and light winds.
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It will also be hot across southern Minnesota with highs near 90 degrees. Cooler air sneaks into northern Minnesota keeping temperatures there into the 70s and 80s.
That slightly cooler air slides a bit more south Thursday dropping temperatures just a few degrees across central Minnesota with highs still close to 90 for some in southwestern Minnesota.
Rain possible Friday into Saturday; dry overall
We’re still looking at a hopeful chance of some scattered showers and a few thunderstorms late Friday in western Minnesota and for much of central and southern Minnesota Saturday as a disturbance moves across the state.
Unfortunately, this system is now looking less impressive than it did a couple days ago with less moisture content available thanks to the return of some slightly cooler and drier air moving north to south Wednesday into Thursday.
The best chance of any significant rainfall looks to be in southwestern Minnesota.
Areas like the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, where a wildfire is burning, may see little or nothing. The drought region over east-central Minnesota may see only light amounts. Temperatures are heating back up again next week.
