Wintry mix Thursday night, another storm Friday

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It’s only mid-May and we’ve already seen our first statewide air quality alert for Minnesota. The alert also includes most of western and southern Wisconsin. 

 for Minnesota from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. 

So why did the smoke reach ground level in Minnesota Thursday? It’s because of sinking air behind a cold front that moved through our state. That subsidence dragged down the smoke that was elevated several thousand feet above us on Wednesday. 

This cross-section of a thunderstorms-driven gust front shows the same basic principle of descending air behind a cold frontal passage. 

Because the smoke density increases rapidly with the frontal passage, it’s essentially a smoke front. Notice how the leading edge of the higher unhealthy smoke concentration moved into the Twin Cities area Thursday afternoon.  

Air quality across Minnesota will improve quickly Friday as the back edge of this current smoke plume is pushed away. Here’s more detail from Thursday’s air quality forecast discussion from the MPCA. 

This weekend looks like the best weather weekend of the year so far for Minnesota. But first, we get a blustery cooler Friday. Northwest winds will gust to at least 20 mph Friday. Highs will hover in the low 60s in most areas.

Milder sunnier drier high pressure builds over Minnesota this upcoming weekend. It looks like we finally got the timing right for a spectacular weekend in Minnesota. Highs will reach the 70s both Saturday and Sunday in most of Minnesota. 

Our weather pattern looks even warmer next week. Highs in the 80s are likely most of next week.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

Widespread wildfire smoke has reached ground level across Minnesota. 

Air quality alert until 6 a.m. Friday

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