Unhealthy Air Quality Alert For Portions Of Northern Minnesota

It's going to get particularly smoky in parts of Northern Minnesota at the end of this week.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued an unhealthy air quality alert for a sizable portion of the Northland, spanning the Twin Ports area, Iron Range, and North Shore as we head into the weekend.

Heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires is the culprit for this alert. Smoke from wildfires in Southeast Manitoba is expected to linger for a couple of days at levels that are considered unhealthy for all people.

Where is the unhealthy air quality alert in Minnesota?

MPCA

The MPCA and other air pollution monitoring agencies use a 6-tier grading scale for air quality. The alert for the end of this week is in the "red" level for Carlton, St. Louis, Lake, and Cook Counties in Northeastern Minnesota.

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Some of the lower tiers are meant to alert those with particular sensitivities or health issues. Red, the third-worst on the scale, means smoke could have impacts on even healthy members of the public.

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How long will this poor air quality hang around?

The alert from the MPCA is from 8 am on Thursday, May 29, through 6 pm on Friday, May 30.

Smoke levels are expected to vary through this timeframe, with one wave on Thursday and another wave of smoke on Friday. That second wave could lead to larger impacts across a greater area of Minnesota and could warrant additional alerts or extensions of existing alerts.

How can you protect yourself?

The MPCA stresses that these smoke levels are unhealthy for everyone, and reducing exposure is the best way to protect yourself.

Staying indoors is the ideal solution, but that isn't always an option. The MPCA also recommends reducing physical activities, especially more vigorous activities. Taking more breaks is recommended if you have to be outdoors and being active.

The MPCA suggests shortening, rescheduling, or moving outdoor events indoors during alerts at air quality levels in this category or worse.

The Largest Minnesota Wildfires In Modern History

While Minnesota has experienced even larger, more devastating fires like the 350,00-acre Hinckley Fire in 1884 of the 250,000-acre Cloquet-Moose Lake Fire in 1918, fires have thankfully been relatively smaller in more modern times.

Even though these more modern fires have been smaller, largely due to better firefighting capabilities, many have still been devastating and destructive. Here's a look at Minnesota's largest wildfires since 2007 based on information from the Minnesota Incident Command System.

Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper

Filed Under: air quality, MPCA, northern minnesota, smoke

Categories: Duluth / Superior News, Featured