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Brief but dense Canadian wildfire smoke blanketing Minnesota

Lake Bemidji's horizon was obscured in a smoky haze off the Blue Ox Trail on July 20, 2021.
Larissa Donovan
/
KAXE
Lake Bemidji's horizon was obscured in a smoky haze off the Blue Ox Trail on July 20, 2021.

The National Weather Service said the smoke will likely linger anywhere from two to five hours in any one location on May 9, 2025.

Minnesotans will get their first whiff of Canadian wildfire smoke this spring after several fires developed across eastern Saskatchewan and western Manitoba on Thursday afternoon.

A brief period of dense smoke is expected to move across the state from the northwest to the southeast along a cold front, severely degrading air quality.

An illustration shows the approximate time of arrival for dense Canadian wildfire smoke on May 9, 2025.
Contributed
/
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
An illustration shows the approximate time of arrival for dense Canadian wildfire smoke on May 9, 2025.

The National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota, said the smoke will likely linger anywhere from two to five hours in any one location, reaching central Minnesota by about 1 p.m.

"Consider altering outdoor plans during the period of thickest smoke," the weather service stated.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reported an air quality alert was not anticipated due to the short window of time the smoke would be present.

The air sensor in Winnipeg showed just how quickly and dramatically the smoke affected air quality early Friday morning, going from "Good" to "Very Unhealthy" and back to "Good" in about two hours, the MPCA shared.

Readings from an air monitor in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, show a dramatic spike in unhealthy air as a result of wildfires on May 9, 2025.
Contributed
/
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Readings from an air monitor in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, show a dramatic spike in unhealthy air as a result of wildfires on May 9, 2025.