Canadian wildfire smoke impacting Minnesota's air quality

Nearly the entire state of Minnesota is experiencing impacts to air quality Thursday, July 11, because of smoke from Canadian wildfires.

The conditions persisted for the fourth day in some parts of the state, particularly northwestern Minnesota, with the Bemidji area reporting hazy skies. A high-pressure system with light winds is contributing to the fine particles lingering over the region, registering as moderate on the Air Quality Index.

In its air quality forecast, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reported this weather pattern is expected to shift east later in the week, with winds switching to the southwest. This is expected to blow the smoke out of central and southern Minnesota for Friday and entirely out of the area by the weekend.

The smoke isn't the only concern when it comes to air quality, however. The MPCA stated increasing temperatures and mostly sunny skies may cause ozone to rise well into the yellow/moderate AQI category.

The AQI in Minnesota is determined by hourly measurements of five pollutants: fine particles, ground-level ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.

Fine particles pollution can cause shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, chest pain and fatigue. The pollution can also make conditions worse for those with cardiovascular or heart disease, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.

Funding for this environmental story was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).