Minnesota, Wisconsin struggle to breathe as smoke from Canada sends air quality to worst levels. How can you protect yourself?
wildfire smoke
from Canada, reports Fox 9. The
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
(MPCA) has issued an
air quality alert
for the entire state of Minnesota until 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Due to heavy surface smoke, the
air quality
in Minnesota has worsened due to wildfire smoke from central Saskatchewan and Manitoba. On Thursday, the majority of Minnesota was under a red/unhealthy for all groups air quality alert. However, along Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota, the air quality could reach purple/very unhealthy levels at times due to "very dense smoke" located over Lake Superior, the MPCA says.
Explore courses from Top Institutes in
Please select course:
Select a Course Category
Cybersecurity
Product Management
others
Degree
Technology
MBA
Data Science
Leadership
Healthcare
Digital Marketing
Data Analytics
Finance
Management
CXO
MCA
Project Management
PGDM
Design Thinking
Public Policy
Others
Artificial Intelligence
Data Science
Operations Management
healthcare
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
10 Months
MIT xPRO
CERT-MIT xPRO PGC in Cybersecurity
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
"In the red area, sensitive groups should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion and limit time spent outdoors. Everyone should limit prolonged or heavy exertion and time spent outdoors," the MPCA says, adding: "In the purple area, everyone should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion and stay indoors."
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
No packaging units & no minimum quantity
Stecker Express
Click Here
Undo
ALSO READ:
National Girlfriends Day: Top gift ideas and 100+ heartfelt Instagram quotes to make her feel special
The air quality forecast for Friday has the entire state under red/unhealthy levels. The air quality forecast for Saturday improves, with the MPCA listing it as orange/unhealthy for sensitive groups for much of Minnesota, including the Twin Cities.
Live Events
According to IQ Air of major cities, Minneapolis has the fourth-worst air quality in the world as of 6:50 a.m. Thursday. The website lists Minneapolis' air quality at an AQI of 152, which is "unhealthy."
Wisconsin air quality
According to Fox 11 Online, Wisconsin has the worst
air quality in US
as of Thursday and it is under an 'air quality' alert. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued an Air Quality Advisory for the following counties: Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Portage, Shawano, Vilas, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, and Wood.
Thursday will be mostly sunny with a high of 75. The smoke and haze is expected to clear up a bit in the afternoon but could return on Friday. Otherwise Friday will be sunny with a high of 77.
ALSO READ:
Pete Hegseth's Pentagon days numbered? US Defense Secretary, facing controversies, reveals his next move
How to protect yourself during wildfire smoke
When smoke hangs around for days and days, its impacts on our health can take its toll. The MPCA says, fortunately, the 'EPA's guidance indicates that even with a longer exposure window people will still be able to recover from effects if they go indoors where the air is cleaner and/or use a well fitting N95 or KN95 mask.'
Here are some tips on how to limit smoke exposure indoors:
-Keep windows and doors closed, especially at night. That is when the smoke usually settles to the ground, becoming more concentrated, and will enter structures if windows are left open.
-Avoid more irritants like burning candles, vacuuming, etc.
-Set A/C to recirculate with a high efficiency air filter
-Consider wearing an N95 or KN95 mask
-Choose a room to close off and run a portable air filter
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
This US city has worst air quality in the world due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. Check tips to protect yourself
Minneapolis had the second worst air quality in the world on Friday morning in the US owing to the smoke from Canadian wildfires . This is according to IQ Air , whose rankings of air quality in the world's largest cities placed Minneapolis second only to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. According to reports, Minneapolis' air quality index rating (AQI) at 159, considered "unhealthy for all people," which comes amid another day of smoky smells across much of the state. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category ALSO READ: Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad controversy: How the actress built a $40 million empire from endorsements by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ringing in Ears Ruined My Life – Then I Found This Simple Trick Tinnitus Experts Undo Air quality in Minneapolis and Chicago Smoke from Canadian wildfires has drifted south of the border to the Midwest and has created unhealthy conditions in Chicago and Minneapolis, where air quality has been ranked among the world's worst, reports US Express. Air quality alerts issued on Thursday continued Friday in parts of Illinois, including Chicago, and in the entire state of Minnesota. Chicago and Minneapolis' air quality was in the "unhealthy" category, which ranks as level four of six on the Air Quality Index. Air quality in Chicago was ranked the worst in the world on Thursday, according to the website, IQAir. By Friday, Chicago was ranked second, while Minneapolis was third. Live Events On Friday 11 am, the air quality in some parts of Minnesota was worse than 159 and parts of south Minneapolis showed a reading of 170. The highest reading in the state was 185 in Hibbing. An air quality warning is in effect through Saturday as northerly winds continue to carry smoke from fires north of the border. ALSO READ: Stimulus payments August 2025: These US states will receive financial benefit. Do you qualify? The National Weather Service urged people with respiratory concerns to limit time outdoors with conditions expected to improve on Saturday. Images and video shared online from Chicago on Thursday showed the city's skyline engulfed in a smoky haze. The authorities have urged residents, particularly those with heart or lung disease, to keep windows and doors closed. They have advised people to consider wearing a high-quality N-95 or N-100 mask while outdoors. In Canada, wildfires have burned millions of acres. Air quality alerts were issued for several parts of the country including Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan. It comes after Donald Trump axed more than a dozen pollution rules in rapidfire deregulation.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
IMD issues very heavy rain alert for multiple Arunachal districts
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday forecast very heavy rain accompanied by thunder and lightning across several districts of Arunachal Pradesh over the next 24 hours. According to an IMD bulletin, heavy rain and thunderstorms are "very likely" to occur at isolated places over Papum Pare and West Siang districts within the next 24 hours. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Public Policy CXO Healthcare Data Analytics Others MBA Design Thinking Cybersecurity Data Science Data Science MCA healthcare Artificial Intelligence Product Management Digital Marketing Finance Leadership others Management Technology Project Management Degree PGDM Operations Management Skills you'll gain: Economics for Public Policy Making Quantitative Techniques Public & Project Finance Law, Health & Urban Development Policy Duration: 12 Months IIM Kozhikode Professional Certificate Programme in Public Policy Management Starts on Mar 3, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 12 Months IIM Calcutta Executive Programme in Public Policy and Management Starts on undefined Get Details Similar weather conditions are also likely in East Kameng , Lower Siang , and Pakke Kessang . by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Click here for more information Undo Citizens in the affected districts have been advised to follow the State Disaster Management Authority guidelines and stay updated through official sources.
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Watch: UP cop offers prayers to floodwater outside his home, calls it a ‘blessing'
A police official in Uttar Pradesh has described the floodwater inside his residence in Prayagraj as a blessing and has even offered prayers to the swollen waters—a video of which is now doing the rounds on the internet. Nishad describes himself in his Instagram bio as 'PSO Hon'ble Justice High Court Allahabad, national swimmer & UP Police swimming champion.' The officer, Chandradeep Nishad, has posted two videos. In one of them, the uniformed officer is seen offering milk and rose petals to the waterlogged street while hailing 'Jai Ganga Maiya ki' (Hail Mother Ganga). He shared the video on his Instagram account with the caption: 'Mother Ganga arrived at our house while leaving for duty this morning. Got blessings by worshiping Maa Ganga at my doorstep. Hail Mother Ganga.' In another video, Nishad is seen dipping into the water, which has risen above waist level inside his house. He also says, 'Thousands of devotees come to you (Ganga), but you yourself came to bless me.' He is also seen swimming in the floodwater while repeatedly chanting 'Jai Ganga Maiya.' The videos received mixed reactions online. While some praised his devotion, others expressed concern over the worsening flood situation. This monsoon season, heavy rainfall has led to severe flooding and waterlogging across several parts of northern India, causing extensive property damage and repeated disruptions. Most parts of Uttar Pradesh are expected to receive normal to above-normal rainfall in the coming weeks, according to recent weather projections. Climate models, including those from the Monsoon Mission, suggest that the ongoing neutral El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean are likely to persist throughout the season. Meanwhile, the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is projected to turn negative by the end of the monsoon. Due to these factors, the easternmost parts of the state—especially areas bordering Bihar—are expected to receive near-normal rainfall during August and September, while the rest of the state may experience above-average precipitation, according to a Hindustan Times report. 'At present, western and southern Uttar Pradesh may witness below-normal temperatures in August, whereas eastern UP is likely to record normal to above-normal temperatures,' said Atul Kumar Singh, senior scientist at the Lucknow Meteorological Office.
