Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Will Reduce Air Quality In Twin Cities

TWIN CITIES, MN — Minnesotans should prepare for hazy skies and reduced air pollution over the courts of the next couple of days, due to uncontrolled burns north of the border.

"High smoke from Canadian wildfires will cause hazy skies for the next couple days," the National Weather Service in the Twin Cities said. "The smoke will also lead to poor quality today across northern & central Minnesota."

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an air quality alert for northern Minnesota Tuesday, where the smoke will be especially bad.

Looking ahead, chances for rain come Thursday, and a cold front will follow. The upcoming weekend will be dry, with highs in the mid-70s.

Here's the specific NWS forecast from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport:

Tuesday: Patchy smoke before 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. West southwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. North northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east after midnight.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph.

Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1am and 4am, then a slight chance of showers after 4am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. South southeast wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday: A chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. West northwest wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 64. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50. West northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 72. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. West southwest wind around 10 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 77. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. East southeast wind around 10 mph.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. South wind 10 to 15 mph.