Photo: Boreal Community Media

Boreal Community Media - June 8, 2025

The entire state of Minnesota is currently experiencing an Air Quality Alert.  Air quality is expected to reach the orange AQI category for all of Minnesota.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an Air Quality Alert for "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" through Sunday, June 8th, at 11 p.m. for the area due to fine particle pollution from Canadian wildfire smoke. Sensitive groups include those with respiratory or heart conditions, children, and older adults. The MPCA recommends all individuals limit prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion, especially sensitive groups, to minimize time outdoors. 

To reduce additional air pollutants, burning permits will not be issued or activated. Campfires are discouraged.

According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, heavy surface Canadian wildfire smoke will follow a cold front into and across Minnesota from west to east from late Saturday night into Sunday morning and afternoon, and then clear out from west to east across the state from Sunday afternoon through Sunday evening. Some areas may only see a few hours of alert-level smoke concentrations due to the relatively fast movement of the north-south band of smoke. The air quality alert may need to be extended into Monday if an additional batch of heavy smoke materializes from Manitoba and Saskatchewan wildfires and is transported into and across Minnesota from north to south, but confidence for this outcome is currently low to medium.