Blizzard warnings in Northwest Minnesota, winter weather advisories across the state

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See that milky white sky overhead today? 

Western wildfires are pumping a thick smoke layer across Minnesota today. 

The elevated smoke layer produced a vivid sunrise Wednesday across much of Minnesota. 

Thankfully, the smoke plume is mostly aloft. Air quality readings here on the ground where we breathe are mostly in the good range, with a few pockets of yellow, moderate particulate readings on Minnesota Pollution Control Agency monitors. 

Wind patterns in the western U.S. have shifted and are now blowing most of the dense smoke plume from fires in Idaho and western Montana northward into western Canada. You can see a break in the smoke plume developing in the Dakotas (in between cloud patches) today on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s true color satellite images. 

NOAA’s HRRR vertically integrated smoke product forecast shows most of the smoke will move east of Minnesota on Thursday. The loop below runs from 1 p.m. Wednesday to 7 p.m. Thursday. 

So look for a little more blue in the sky overhead Thursday.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

The milky white sky above Minnesota today is caused by smoke from western wildfires. 

NOAA

U.S. Forest Service

MPCA 

NOAA HRRR model vertically integrated smoke product 

Smoky skies across Minnesota caused by western wildfires should improve Thursday

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