Air quality alert update; a smoky Saturday in many areas

The air quality varies quite a bit across Minnesota this morning. Smoke from Canadian wildfires is making our air unhealthy for sensitive groups in many areas and unhealthy for all groups in some areas.

At 8 a.m., air quality was in the moderate (yellow) category in much of north-central and northeastern Minnesota, but in the unhealthy for sensitive groups (orange) category for much of central Minnesota and in most of the Twin Cities metro area plus south-central Minnesota. Air quality at 8 a.m. was in the unhealthy (red) category in and near the Red River Valley of northwestern Minnesota and in a swath from west-central and southwestern Minnesota eastward to the far western part of the Twin Cities metro area.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency posts air quality information on its website.

Air quality will vary from hour to hour but is generally expected to improve in many areas later Saturday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High Resolution Rapid-Refresh smoke model forecast shows the potential location of the highest smoke concentrations (orange shades) at noon today:

Those highest concentrations of smoke shift southward a bit by 6 p.m., but still cover most of the southern third of Minnesota:

Air quality alert update

An air quality alert continues until 3 p.m. Saturday for most of Minnesota and the bulk of the Twin Cities area. The air quality alert continues until noon Sunday for Scott and Dakota county of the south metro and for southeastern Minnesota and for portions of Minnesota that are south of the Minnesota River.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is making our air unhealthy for sensitive groups, including people with asthma or COPD.

Here are details of the Minnesota air quality alert, from the MPCA:

Air quality is expected to reach the orange AQI category across all of Minnesota, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for all of Minnesota due to wildfire smoke. The alert is effective from 8 a.m. Friday, July 14, through 3 p.m. Saturday, July 15. The affected area includes all of Minnesota as well as the tribal nations of Prairie Island, Mille Lacs, Fond du Lac, Upper Sioux, Leech Lake, Red Lake and Grand Portage.

Fine particle levels are expected to reach the orange air quality index (AQI) category, a level considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, all of Minnesota. In the orange area, sensitive groups should limit prolonged or heavy exertion and time spent outdoors.

Smoke from wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia will move south across Minnesota following a cold front on Friday. The sinking air associated with the cold front will push smoke elevated in the atmosphere down to the surface. This will result in poor air quality. Air quality will gradually improve on Saturday with gradual clearing across Minnesota from north to south. This alert may need to be locally extended depending on how fast the smoke dissipates.

What this alert means

Air moves long distances and carries pollutants. During air quality alerts due to wildfires, the air is mixed with harmful smoke. Wildfire smoke spreads or lingers depending on the size of the fires, the wind, and the weather.

The air quality index (AQI) is color-coded. Air quality alerts are issued when the AQI is forecast to reach an unhealthy level, which includes forecasts in the orange, red, purple, and maroon categories. For a full description of each air quality category, visit airnow.gov.

Orange air quality: Unhealthy for sensitive groups

Sights and smells: In areas where air quality is in the orange AQI category due to wildfires, the sky may look hazy and residents may smell smoke even when wildfires are far away.

Health effects: This air is unhealthy for sensitive groups and pollution may aggravate heart and lung disease as well as cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. Symptoms may include chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and fatigue.

What to do: People in sensitive groups are encouraged to reduce outdoor physical activities, take more breaks, or do less intense activities to reduce their exposure. People with asthma should follow their asthma action plan and keep their rescue inhaler nearby.

Who’s most at risk

Poor air quality impacts health. Fine particle pollution from wildfire smoke can irritate eyes, nose, and throat, and cause coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness, or fatigue. Smoke particles are small enough that they can be breathed deeply into lungs and enter the bloodstream. This can lead to illnesses such as bronchitis or aggravate existing chronic heart and lung diseases, triggering heart palpitations, asthma attacks, heart attacks, and strokes.

Certain groups experience health effects from unhealthy air quality sooner than others, either because they are more sensitive to fine particle pollution or because they are exposed to larger amounts of it.

Sensitive groups include:

• People who have asthma or other breathing conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

• People who have heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes.

• Pregnant people.

• Children and older adults.

People with increased exposure include:

• People of all ages who do longer or more vigorous physical activity outdoors.

  • People who work outdoors, especially workers who do heavy manual labor.

  • People who exercise or play sports outdoors, including children.

• People who don’t have air conditioning and need to keep windows open to stay cool.

• People in housing not tight enough to keep unhealthy air out, or who do not have permanent shelter.

Anyone experiencing health effects related to poor air quality should contact their health care provider. Those with severe symptoms, chest pain, trouble breathing, or who fear they may be experiencing a heart attack or stroke should call 911 immediately.

Take precautions

Reduce or eliminate activities that contribute to air pollution, such as outdoor burning, and use of residential wood burning devices. Reduce vehicle trips and vehicle idling as much as possible. Keep windows closed to ensure outside smoke does not enter you home.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued an air quality advisory for all of Wisconsin that continues from today to noon on Sunday. Here are the details:

WIZ014>016-023>028-161700- Polk-Barron-Rusk-St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn-Pepin-Chippewa-Eau Claire- Including the cities of Osceola, Rice Lake, Ladysmith, Hudson, River Falls, Menomonie, Durand, Chippewa Falls, and Eau Claire 859 AM CDT Fri Jul 14 2023 ...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CDT SUNDAY... The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued an Air Quality Advisory for PM2.5 which will be in effect until noon Sunday, July 16. This advisory affects all of Wisconsin. Smoke originating from wildfires in western Canada will move into the state today, generally from northwest-to-southeast, causing the air quality index (AQI) for PM2.5 to reach the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) level. It is possible that isolated to scattered areas of Unhealthy AQI PM2.5 could develop, with the best chance for this to occur across southern Wisconsin. People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should consider avoiding prolonged or heavy exertion. Everyone else should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion. The northern half of the state will see the heaviest smoke impacts from noon Friday until midnight Sunday (Saturday night). The southern half of the state will see the heaviest smoke impacts from 6AM Saturday until noon Sunday. While it is likely that this advisory will be allowed to expire as planned for northern Wisconsin, we may need to extend the end-time of the advisory for southern Wisconsin. For more information on current air quality, please see: https://airquality.wi.gov

Saturday weather

An isolated shower is possible in northern Minnesota this morning.

A few very scattered showers and an isolated t-storm could develop later Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening in the northern third of Minnesota and in western Wisconsin. There appears to be just an isolated shower/thunderstorm chance elsewhere in Minnesota later this afternoon and this evening.

Highs will be in the 70s today across roughly the northern third of Minnesota and in northwestern Wisconsin, with mainly 80s elsewhere:

A few spots in far northeastern Minnesota might only see the upper 60s. Twin Cities metro area highs will be close to our average July 15 high of 84 degrees.

It’ll be breezy by Saturday afternoon.

Update

A new Updraft will be posted around 11:15 a.m. and it will include a look at Sunday and the week ahead.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.