If you’re in the north central United States and the skies seem smoky, here’s why: Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin were under an air quality alert Monday morning due to wildfire smoke from Canada.
On Sunday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued the statewide alert, which was set to expire at noon Eastern time Monday. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued an air quality alert for northwest Wisconsin that would last until 10 a.m. Monday.
Fine particulate matter levels were expected to reach the red category of the air quality index, the agency said, which also warned that it was “a level considered unhealthy for everyone, throughout Minnesota.” In those areas, officials said, everyone, and particularly sensitive people, should avoid prolonged or strenuous exertion and limit their time outdoors.
According to meteorologists, the smoke reached Minnesota on Sunday, behind a cold front. In the northern part of the state, air quality was expected to improve overnight, but smoke was still expected to persist until about noon.
Air quality is not healthy for everyone.
Smoke in Minnesota and Wisconsin is considered harmful to everyone’s health, officials said.
“Air travels long distances and carries pollutants,” the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said. During air quality alerts caused by wildfires, the air is mixed with harmful smoke. The duration of wildfire smoke depends on the size of the fires, wind and weather.
There are several fires in Canada.
Firefighters were battling multiple fires across Canada over the weekend, including the Teepee Creek Fire in Alberta.
One of the largest, the Parker Lake wildfire, started in Fort Nelson, British Columbia, on Friday and spread rapidly with the help of a cold front and winds, according to the British Columbia Wildfire Service.
The Northern Rocky Mountain Regional Municipality and Fort Nelson First Nation issued evacuation orders affecting thousands of people in Fort Nelson.
The region has experienced several years of drought, making it more susceptible to “extreme fire behavior,” Ben Boghean, a wildland fire service fire behavior specialist, said in a recorded video update. More winds were expected Monday morning, Boghean said, posing challenges in controlling the fire.