MPR News Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner signs off

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

The smoke plumes that created dangerous air conditions throughout Minnesota on Monday have moved on, but 

 could lead to more air quality concerns this summer. 

Active fire maps

Air quality in most of the state is now rated as "good," according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. 

The smoke plumes have moved south and east out of Minnesota, said National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Lahr. 

Smoke is still affecting air quality in the Dakotas and Canada, but Lahr said it's difficult to predict exactly where the smoke from the fires will head more than a couple days in advance. 

"When the general upper air wind direction shifts a little bit, it can take the smoke plume and move it either away or back toward us," Lahr said. "So we could be dealing with this off and on later in the summer." 

Even if smoke plumes again move into the state, Lahr said it's unlikely, although not impossible, that air quality will drop so low again. "That's about as bad as it gets down here," he said.  

Monday's air quality levels were among the lowest ever measured in Minnesota, said Frank Kohlasch, manager of air assessment for the agency. 

Canadian fires turn Minnesota air 'unhealthy'

Kohlasch said the very small particulates in the smoke can be especially dangerous to people with breathing or heart conditions, although otherwise healthy people can also be threatened by air quality levels like Monday's.  

"They'll be breathed in, they'll get into the lungs, and some can even pass from the lungs into the bloodstream and then they can have effects on the heart," Kohlasch said. "These levels could bring on feelings of not feeling well or could exacerbate and could cause a pre-existing condition to get worse or to flare up."  

Air quality index

Pat Ericson, a resident of St. Paul's Como Park neighborhood, said Monday that she started to feel the effects of the smoke over the weekend. 

"I'd been working in my gardens, and by early evening, we were having guests for dinner, and I started coughing," she said. "The next day I started hearing reports about air quality — I thought I was getting a cold."

Environmental News

Health

Jon Collins

Author

Air quality in most of the state is now rated as "good," according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Air clearer, but wildfire smoke could return

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox