Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

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Call it a smoke front. That’s what it looks like from space on weather satellites and here on the ground on air quality monitors. 

You can see the leading edge of the smoke plume moving through the Twin Cities into southern Minnesota in the satellite image at the top of this post.

The air quality map Wednesday afternoon confirms the smoke has reached ground level across much of the state. Air quality readings are in the unhealthy-for-everyone (red) range across most of central Minnesota. 

As of this post, the AQI index at St. Cloud was 188 ppm for fine particulate matter. AQI readings above 150 also appear at Fargo, N.D., Brainerd, and Duluth. 

 now includes all of Minnesota. It also includes most of western Wisconsin until 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Rapid Refresh smoke model shows cleaner air pushing into eastern Minnesota from the Great Lakes Thursday morning. 

Here’s the forecast image for 8 a.m. Thursday: 

So air quality should improve Thursday into Friday across Minnesota. 

Minnesota News

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

The smoke has reached ground level across much of the state. Air quality readings are in the unhealthy-for-everyone range across most of central Minnesota. Conditions should improve Thursday into Friday.

Thick wildfire smoke plume brings unhealthy air quality to Minnesota

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