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

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If you look up you can see a whitish tint to the sky above Minnesota these days. (See the image above.) That’s caused by an elevated smoke layer drifting above Minnesota.

There’s a growing smoke shield from fires in Canada and the western United States this week. 

Most of the smoke over Minnesota remains aloft. Air quality readings at ground level are good to moderate across Minnesota. However, unhealthy air quality readings due to ground-level smoke cover the western Dakotas. 

A northeast wind from Lake Superior will keep air quality across Minnesota comparatively good Wednesday and keep the western smoke at bay. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model near-surface smoke output shows the easterly wind flow pushing smoke westward into Wednesday morning:

So air quality readings across Minnesota will remain good to moderate on Wednesday.

We’ll have to keep an eye out for possible thicker smoke invasions if the winds shift. There’s a lot of smoke out west. 

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

Wildfires in Canada and the western United States are causing a large smoke shield.

Extensive wildfire smoke plumes building west of Minnesota

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