Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

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Canadian wildfire smoke continues to blanket parts of Minnesota.

The 9 a.m. Sunday air quality map from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency showed moderate air quality in the Twin Cities metro area and parts of northern Minnesota, with good air quality in northeastern Minnesota. The remainder of Minnesota was mainly in the unhealthy for sensitive groups air quality category. Air quality conditions in northeastern Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro area could be fairly good through much of the afternoon, with the  smoke moving back in during Sunday evening and overnight Sunday night.

The air quality alert that was issued by the MPCA on Friday continues for Minnesota through Sunday and on into Tuesday:

The MPCA expects the air quality in many areas to fluctuate between the “unhealthy “ category and the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category over the next couple of days.

Here are details about the air quality alert, from the MPCA:

People whose health is affected by unhealthy air quality

Current Minnesota air quality readings can be found 

An air quality advisory has been issued for Wisconsin this weekend:

A guide to the various air quality categories can be found at 

The more serious air quality categories look like this:

Our average Twin Cities high temp is 83 degrees this time of year. Some spots in the metro area could top 80 this Sunday. Sunday highs will be in the 70s across much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin, with some lower 80s in southern Minnesota.

Monday highs reach the lower 80s in many areas:

  Monday dew points will be in the comfortable lower 50s:

Back to high temps, Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the mid 80s Tuesday, followed by upper 80s Wednesday and Thursday and around 90 on Friday.

Those above normal highs later this week could linger through next weekend and the start of the following week; the NWS Climate Prediction Center shows above-normal temps in Minnesota and Wisconsin from August 6 through August 10:

The official July rainfall total at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was just 87/100ths of an inch. July 2021 was the eighth-driest July in Twin Cities weather records:

The drought continues in the Twin Cities and most of Minnesota.

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Ron Trenda

Author

Areas of smoke from Canadian wildfires are expected to linger in parts of Minnesota this Sunday. We have details on that, plus a look at the week ahead.

A break from the smoke in some areas Sunday; temps rebound this week

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