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We’re breathing easier in Minnesota. Air quality readings on Wednesday have improved into the good to moderate range across the state. However, thick smoke plumes from massive wildfires in eastern Canada continue to spread across the northeastern United States. 

The air quality in New York City was the worst for any major city on earth over the past 24 hours. 

Check out this dangerous air quality index reading I found of 234 in the Bronx Wednesday.

The smoke plume is so thick it has forced ground stops at airports in New York and New Jersey Wednesday.

Thick wildfire smoke plumes will continue to blow south into the U.S. this week. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Rapid Refresh smoke model indicates the back edge of the eastern plume may retrograde back into eastern Minnesota late Wednesday night into Thursday.

We may also see an increase in near-surface smoke here at ground level. 

Based on those trends, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency indicates they may issue another air quality alert for eastern Minnesota Thursday. Here’s the latest forecast discussion from MPCA:

Our skies have been smoky and we need rain across most of Minnesota.

There will be a few scattered thundershowers favoring western Minnesota overnight into Thursday. I like the looks of NOAA’s North American Mesoscale 3 km model, which favors a cluster of cells drifting southward across western Minnesota overnight into Thursday. 

Temperatures will be pleasant right through the upcoming weekend. Highs will be in the upper 70s and lower 80s across most of Minnesota for the next few days, and cooler by your favorite Great Lake.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

Another smoke wave may clip eastern Minnesota Thursday. 

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

NOAA RAP model vertically integrated smoke model

Better air quality Wednesday; smoke may return Thursday

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