Air quality alert for southern MN and south metro until 6 p.m. Sunday; cool temps

Our air quality improved quite a bit in central Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro area Saturday evening.

As of 8 a.m. Sunday, air quality was good or moderate in northern Minnesota and most of central and southeastern Minnesota plus the Twin Cities metro area.

Due to smoke from Canadian wildfires, air quality was unhealthy (red category) in southwestern Minnesota and unhealthy for sensitive groups (orange category) in portions of west-central Minnesota.

Some additional smoky air will spread eastward from South Dakota today, so air quality is expected to deteriorate in the portions of southern Minnesota that currently have good to moderate air quality.

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 1 p.m. Sunday:

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency continues air quality alerts until 6 p.m. Sunday in the orange and red-shaded counties of Minnesota, including the south metro:

The southern portions of Scott County and Dakota County are expected to see air quality in the unhealthy (red) category while northern portions of those counties plus Carver County see air quality mainly in the unhealthy for sensitive groups (orange) category.

Unhealthy air quality is expected across much of southern Minnesota.

Here’s the MPCA discussion of the air quality alert that includes the southern part of the Twin Cities metro area plus southern Minnesota:

MNZ054>057-064>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-162300- Blue Earth-Brown-Carver-Chippewa-Dakota-Faribault-Freeborn- Goodhue-Kandiyohi-Lac Qui Parle-Le Sueur-Martin-McLeod-Nicollet- Redwood-Renville-Rice-Scott-Sibley-Steele-Swift-Waseca-Watonwan- Yellow Medicine- Including the tribal nations of Prairie Island and Upper Sioux Including the cities of Albert Lea, Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Hastings, Mankato, Northfield, Prior Lake, Rosemount, Shakopee, and Waconia 725 PM CDT Sat Jul 15 2023 ...AIR QUALITY ALERT NOW IN EFFECT THROUGH 6 PM CDT Sunday... * WHAT...The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has extended an Air Quality Alert for fine particle pollution. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to reach the Red or Unhealthy category. * WHERE...Portions of central and southern Minnesota. * WHEN...Through 6 PM CDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...Some members of the general public may experience health effects. Sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease (including asthma), heart disease, and children and older adults, may experience health effects. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Smoke from wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia continues to slowly move south across Minnesota. Another smoke incursion is expected along and south of the Minnesota River Valley overnight and into Saturday. This second round of smoke will gradually clear from north to south Sunday and will clear the Interstate 90 corridor by 6pm Sunday evening. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... The general public should limit prolonged or heavy exertion. Sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease (including asthma), heart disease, and children and older adults, should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. 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. && For information on current air quality conditions in your area and to sign up for daily air quality forecasts and alert notifications by email, text message, phone, or the EPA AirNow mobile app, visit https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air-water-land- climate/current-air-quality-conditions. You can find additional information about health and air quality at https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air-water-land-climate/air-quality- and-health.

The Minnesota air quality measurement map is typically updated about once per hour.

Wisconsin remains in an air quality advisory until noon on Sunday:

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

Sunday shower chance

A passing shower is possible Sunday morning from central Minnesota through the Twin Cities metro area and into west-central Wisconsin. Sunday morning shower chances are higher in north-central and northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.

The best chance of scattered showers and an isolated thunderstorm Sunday afternoon and evening is expected to be in northern Minnesota and in Wisconsin. An isolated shower or thunderstorm is possible elsewhere in Minnesota.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential rain pattern from noon Sunday to 10 p.m. Sunday:

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network. You can check the MPR radar here.

You can also check these National Weather Service sites for updated weather info: Twin Cities, Duluth, La Crosse, Wis., Sioux Falls, S.D., and Grand Forks, N.D.

Cool temps

The average Twin Cities high temp is 84 degrees this time of year. Most of the metro area will top out in the upper 70s this afternoon. Sunday highs will be in the 60s across most of the northern third of Minnesota and parts of northwestern Wisconsin, with 70s elsewhere:

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.