Thousands of People Asked to Avoid Driving Cars for Three Days

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an alert asking thousands of Minnesota residents to reduce their driving from Friday afternoon through Sunday because of poor air quality.
An air quality alert will go into effect for parts of western Minnesota at 3 p.m. Central time on Friday and is set to expire at 6 p.m. Central time on Sunday. The fine-particle pollution is caused by “heavy ground-level smoke” that is expected to move into the northwestern part of the state by Friday afternoon, according to the alert, which was broadcast through the National Weather Service (NWS).
The smoke is coming from wildfires burning in Canada, NWS meteorologist Tyler Thomas told Newsweek.
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“Northerly winds behind a strong low pressure system will pull smoke south across the Red River valley,” the alert said. “Smoke will reach the border around 3 pm and arrive at the Fargo/Moorhead area around 6 pm Friday. Northerly winds will persist for several days and additional smoke is expected to move into northern Minnesota Saturday afternoon. The alert area may need to be expanded to account for additional areas that might be impacted by heavy smoke.”
The alert is in place for thousands of people living in Clay, Kittson, Norman, West Marshall, West Polk and Wilkin counties, including the cities of Crookston, East Grand Forks and Moorhead.
The alert said smoke will worsen the air quality until it reaches the red, or unhealthy, category on Friday afternoon. Levels could improve to orange, or unhealthy for sensitive groups, by Saturday.
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“Smoke will linger until at least Sunday, as light northerly winds are expected to continue until Monday,” the alert said.
To further reduce pollution that could worsen the air quality, the NWS alert advised residents in the affected area to not drive if possible.
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“Reduce or eliminate activities that contribute to air pollution, such as outdoor burning, and use of residential wood burning devices,” the alert said. “Reduce vehicle trips and vehicle idling as much as possible. Keep windows closed overnight to prevent smoke from getting indoors.”
Unhealthy air quality occurs when the air quality index falls between the 151 to 200 range. At that level, some people may experience adverse health effects, with sensitive groups—such as those suffering from lung disease—more strongly affected.
So far this year, Thomas said, the Minnesota area hasn’t required as many air quality alerts as is typical for the summer months. He added that meteorologists aren’t expecting any major impacts from the smoke.
Air quality alerts also are in place in Montana, Colorado, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.