Hazy skies in Minnesota this week due to wildfires in Pacific Northwest

Smoke from wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia is moving into Minnesota this week, bringing hazy skies but not the extreme conditions seen earlier this summer.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is issuing a moderate air quality forecast across parts of the state, with near-alert concentrations across northwest portions of the state. This is the second time Minnesota has dealt with heavy wildfire smoke this summer.

Two weeks ago, as many as 16 wildfires burned in the Boundary Waters and the Superior National Forest. At that time, smoke created hazardous breathing conditions in those areas. Wildfires burning in Canada also caused poor air quality across the entire state during that same time.

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