MINNESOTA, USA — The wildfires in Canada have triggered yet another air quality alert for Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
For northern Minnesota, the air quality alert will be in effect until 6 p.m. on Monday, July 24. An alert issued for the central portion of the state expired at 6 a.m. Monday, including the Twin Cities metro.
Areas that were included in the original alert are the northern half of the Twin Cities, Brainerd, Alexandria, Hinckley, St. Cloud, Bemidji, International Falls, Two Harbors, Hibbing, Ely, Duluth, Roseau, and the tribal nations of Mille Lacs, Leech Lake, Red Lake, Grand Portage, and Fond du Lac, according to the MPCA.
Smoke will linger the longest across northeast Minn., and air quality is expected to remain in the orange category across northeast Minn. until the end of the day Monday.
Bad air that was hovering above Minnesota has moved into Wisconsin, where an air quality extends until noon on Tuesday, July 25.
The air quality could reach the AQI category orange, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
"Fine particle levels will reach the Orange (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) category across northern and central Minn., including the northern half of the Twin Cities metro on Sunday. Air quality across the southern Twin Cities metro and southern Minn. will be in the Yellow (moderate) category. Winds will become southerly during the overnight hours on Monday and the smoke will begin to retreat north. Air quality should improve below the Orange category across the Twin Cities by Monday morning. " said the agency in a release.
Officials say smoke can aggravate those with heart and lung disease, as well as cardiovascular and respiratory infections. According to the MPCA, symptoms could include chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and fatigue.
People who need to be especially mindful of the alerts include:
- People who have asthma or other breathing conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- People who have heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes
- Pregnant people
- Children and older adults
People with increased exposure include:
- People of all ages who do longer or more vigorous physical activity outdoors
- People who work outdoors, especially workers who do heavy manual labor
- People who exercise or play sports outdoors, including children
- People who don’t have air conditioning and need to keep windows open to stay cool
- People in housing not tight enough to keep unhealthy air out, or who do not have permanent shelter.
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