Hazardous air quality forecast for much of Minnesota Thursday as fires grow

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

The visitors center in West Duluth is perched high on a bluff and there’s typically a gorgeous, panoramic view of the St. Louis River estuary, Lake Superior and the iconic Duluth lift bridge.

But Thursday, all of that was shrouded in a blanket of smoky haze.

Get the latest information on wildfires in Minnesota

The area tracked an all-time record for hazardous air quality levels this week as smoke from wildfires burning in and around the Boundary Waters a couple of hours to the north engulfed the region, along with much of the state and the country. 

That left some travelers scrambling as they tried to decide whether to refocus their vacations to more indoor activities or cancel altogether. Others adapted plans but still made a point to see landmark locations in the region.

Brian Morrison of Detroit Lakes stopped at the West Duluth visitors center and rest area on the way to Two Harbors with his family. He said they were disappointed by the haze but hoped to make the best of it.

“We're not going to get the outside time that we were planning on having, you know, just especially because of you know with the kids and the smoke and whatnot,” Morrison said. “But you know we've had this trip booked for several months now, and it's kind of like, well, whatever the weather, we're going.”

At the visitor’s center, a state tourism guide broke out COVID-19 era face masks and notified visitors of the poor air quality. She recommended indoor activities in the area that might be a safer bet than hiking or getting out on the water in the current environment.

Linda and Ryan Benjamin, from Minneapolis, said they weren’t sure whether their trip to Tofte would pan out — but they wanted to give it a shot. They’d hoped to hike, swim and bike, but said they’d likely pivot.

“Bluefin Bay is a resort with an indoor pool and hot tub and sauna and all that, and we have a condo, so it'll be fine inside. It's just really not the plan, and if it's really bad, we have actually talked about just leaving and going back to Minneapolis,” Linda Benjamin said, before adding, “We'll hit the bar if nothing else.”

Near the Great Lakes Aquarium, Raechel Sittig-Esser and her family donned masks as they made their way over to Canal Park.

“We are on a family vacation, all from Iowa, celebrating a birthday, and we didn't want to just sit in the hotel, so we're out trying to find inside things to do,” she said.

Sittig-Esser said the family was hoping to spend more time outdoors, and they remained hopeful conditions could improve by Friday.

“We are, I would say, disappointed because we were looking forward to being outside and enjoying all of the North Shore activities, the lake walk, and things like that, but we're hoping that it'll clear up before we have to go back,” she said.

Cindy Moe from Buffalo said her family packed boardgames in case they’d have to stay indoors much of the time during their trip to Lutsen. She and her husband brought their kids to a playground in Duluth on Thursday to get their wiggles out and eat lunch.

“We're continuing on, but it's going to be unfortunate,” Moe told MPR News. “I feel like we're going to have to be inside most of the trip. We aren’t going to be able to hike like we were hoping to. We won't be able to hike like we were hoping to. So it's a bummer.”

She said wildfire smoke affected a family outing to the North Shore last year, too.

Duluth resident Cindy Rosas, who was out with her husband Doug walking their dog Hoshi near Bayfront Festival Park Thursday, remembered that, too.

“This is the second summer it's been like this, that I'm aware of. A few years ago, we never had any, any of this,” Rosas said, adding that smoky air could become the new normal because of climate change.

“I think this is going to go on every summer now,” she said. “Unfortunately, I think we're going to be dealing with this, and I mean not just here, but the whole country.”

Doug Rosas said the couple will be trying to limit some of their time outdoors and keep track of which way the wind is blowing to avoid some of the smoke.

“Our walks are a little shorter than usual. You know, otherwise we're staying in the house and inside with the air on, and staying out of it,” Rosas said. “When we get done here, we'll go back home and sit in that [air conditioning] again till tomorrow, or you know, who knows.”

Forecasts suggest the smoke will likely ease up here this weekend. But fire officials say the wildfire will likely burn for weeks and maybe months, suggesting that the wildfire smoke could come back in periodic bursts all summer and heading into the fall.

Health

Lifestyle

Outdoors

Homepage

Disasters

Minnesota Wildfires

Minnesota News

Duluth News

Live updates: Wildfires in Minnesota

Dana Ferguson

Author

Smoke from the wildfires burning in northeastern Minnesota and in Canada is creating the worst air quality on record in many cities across Minnesota and the entire Great Lakes region. One of the worst spots has been Duluth, which is in the height of the city's busy tourist season.

Dana Ferguson | MPR News

Family posing for photo at playground in Duluth

Reaching a record level, Duluth's hazardous air quality forces many tourists indoors

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox