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Much of Minnesota was blanketed in thick haze Tuesday, as the sight and smell of smoke from Canadian wildfires spread across the state. 

That smoke led to the worst air quality the state has seen since 2023. And the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said it was among the worst conditions seen since the agency started issuing air quality alerts in 2008.

Air quality readings early Tuesday were in the “red” and “purple” categories — meaning “unhealthy” and “very unhealthy” — across most of eastern Minnesota, including Duluth, the Twin Cities, St. Cloud and Mankato.

Under those conditions, people should limit time spent outdoors and limit prolonged or heavy exertion.

“Red” conditions lingered in the Twin Cities, Rochester and Duluth into the afternoon. 

posts current air quality conditions on its website

The additional wave of smoke from major wildfires across Manitoba and Saskatchewan is sweeping across Minnesota on northerly winds behind the cold front that triggered showers and storms in the region on Monday.

Rain continued for parts of Minnesota on Tuesday. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency forecasters said the rain “has the potential to help clean the air, but is not expected to altogether eliminate poor air quality.”

An air quality alert continues for Minnesota, extending into western Wisconsin, through noon Wednesday. 

The MPCA said conditions are expected to gradually improve across the state, from northwest to southeast, later Tuesday into Wednesday.

The MPCA said forecast models indicate the smoke may stay near, or north of, the Canadian border later this week.

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While cleaner air was filtering into western Minnesota on Tuesday, the wildfires that produced the latest round of smoke were still burning — with the fire season underway earlier than usual. MPCA meteorologist Matt Taraldsen said that means we might see more rounds of smoke in the weeks ahead.

“The caveat is always — the smoke can be there, but it’s really the weather that pushes that smoke down to the surface and into Minnesota. And so that’s the wild card,” he said. “Beyond just 10 days or so, we have a hard time saying with any certainty that that will happen, but the risk will definitely be there all summer.”

 of the air quality index, followed by purple (very unhealthy), red (unhealthy), orange (unhealthy for sensitive groups), yellow (moderate) and green (good).

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Andrew Krueger

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Much of Minnesota was blanketed in thick haze Tuesday, as the sight and smell of smoke from Canadian wildfires spread across the state. It was among the worst air quality on record in the state.

Much of Minnesota woke up Tuesday to a thick blanket of haze as the sight and smell of smoke from Canadian wildfires continued spreading across the state.

Thick smoke, haze blanket much of Minnesota; air quality alert remains in effect

smoke from Canadian wildfires lingers in the air

Kerem Yücel | MPR News

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Smoke, haze and rain obscure the view of the Minnesota Capitol

Thick smoke, haze blanket much of Minnesota; air quality alert remains in effect

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