Air Quality Alerts for the Twin Cities extended through Friday morning
TWIN CITIES, MINNESOTA - The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities, in coordination with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, has extended the Air Quality Alert for the Twin Cities until Friday morning with the forecasted Air Quality Index (AQI) for the Twin Cities to continue to remain in Red or Unhealthy category tonight and will be in the Orange or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category once again for tomorrow.
The first Air Quality Alert went out Tuesday afternoon and was for Noon to 8 PM on Wednesday and was originally for unhealthy air that was forecast to develop across the Twin Cities metro from Ozone. Ozone is created when pollutants mix with the warm, sunny, and low-humidity environment across the region during the peak sun and heating timeframes in the afternoon and evening, thus producing ground-level ozone at the surface. This Ozone that will get produced is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups and individuals exposed to it over long periods of time.
By Wednesday morning, the Air Quality Alert was expanded across the entire state of Minnesota and Wisconsin as the wildfire smoke began to surge southward and was settling at the surface. This resulted in a large portion of central and northern Minnesota being placed under a Red, or Unhealthy category during the afternoon which will continue overnight. By tomorrow, the air quality issues are forecast to gradually improve tomorrow into early Friday as the smoke band over the region gradually dissipates and works southward.
Sensitive groups of people are individuals with lung disease and asthma, heart disease, children, and the elderly. This group also includes individuals who do outdoor activities. It is recommended for individuals who fall under this criteria limit prolonged exposure outdoors and heavy outdoor exertion.
