Heavy snow and difficult travel expected again, heaviest snow in southern Minnesota

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

Our air quality in Minnesota went from bad to worse Wednesday. 

Practically speaking, a smoke front rolled southward through Minnesota Wednesday. As of this post, the thickest part of the Canadian wildfire smoke plume blankets most of central and southern Minnesota. That smoke plume has reached ground level, where we breathe.  

 Wednesday afternoon have spiked into the very unhealthy category in much of central Minnesota including St. Cloud and the Twin Cities. 

Here are some select AQI index readings as of late Wednesday afternoon.

 info from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, via the Twin Cities National Weather Service office:

The smoke plume will gradually dissipate later Thursday into Friday as cleaner air blows in across the Great Lakes from the northeast.

The latest Minnesota Pollution Control Agency forecast shows air quality improving overnight into Thursday across northern Minnesota. The alert will likely be removed for the northern half of the state, the agency said, adding heavy smoke will continue to linger over southern Minnesota.

Expect air quality to improve statewide by Friday. 

What questions do you have about air quality in Minnesota?

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Disasters

Minnesota Wildfires

Paul Huttner

Author

The latest Minnesota Pollution Control Agency forecast shows air quality improving overnight into Thursday across northern Minnesota. Expect air quality to improve statewide by Friday. 

A view of downtown buildings in Minneapolis covered in haze

Very unhealthy air; relief Thursday for northern Minnesota

Go Deeper.

Like this?