Extensive wildfire smoke plumes building west of Minnesota

If you look up you can see a whitish tint to the sky above Minnesota these days. (See the image above.) That’s caused by an elevated smoke layer drifting above Minnesota.

There’s a growing smoke shield from fires in Canada and the western United States this week.

NOAA fire and smoke map — Fire and smoke map
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Most of the smoke over Minnesota remains aloft. Air quality readings at ground level are good to moderate across Minnesota. However, unhealthy air quality readings due to ground-level smoke cover the western Dakotas.

Air Quality Index Tuesday shows good to moderate air quality over MInnesota. But unhealthy air quality readings at ground level cover much of the western Dakotas.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

A northeast wind from Lake Superior will keep air quality across Minnesota comparatively good Wednesday and keep the western smoke at bay.

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model near-surface smoke output shows the easterly wind flow pushing smoke westward into Wednesday morning:

NOAA HRRR smoke — High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model near-surface smoke output through 7 a.m. Wednesday
NOAA, via Pivotal Weather

So air quality readings across Minnesota will remain good to moderate on Wednesday.

Air quality forecast for Minnesota Wednesday
MPCA

We’ll have to keep an eye out for possible thicker smoke invasions if the winds shift. There’s a lot of smoke out west.

Stay tuned.

Extensive wildfire smoke plumes building west of Minnesota

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