Canadian fires bring yellow sky, unhealthy air to northern Minnesota

Smoke from wildfires burning hundreds of miles away in Canada is affecting northern Minnesota's air quality.

Most of the smoke is trapped in the upper levels of the atmosphere, making it difficult to smell. But the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says it's causing unhealthy levels of fine particles in Ely and other parts of Minnesota's Arrowhead region.

Officials say people who are sensitive to air pollution should limit their activity until the air clears.

"Essentially the jet stream aligned in this way where it lofted a lot of the smoke from much of Canada, and it moved it southward across northern Minnesota and into Wisconsin," said Melody Lovin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth.