MPCA issues air pollution health advisory for western Minnesota
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air pollution health advisory for western Minnesota effective Thursday afternoon through 8am Friday morning. The affected area includes Mankato, Hutchinson, St. Cloud, Marshall, Willmar, Detroit Lakes, Brainerd, Bemidji, and Thief River Falls.
Air quality monitors indicate a narrow plume of smoke stretching from western and northwest Iowa into western Minnesota. The smoke, a result of fires across eastern Kansas and Nebraska, is expected to persist in this area through Friday morning. During this time, fine particle pollution is expected to remain near a level that is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. On Friday morning, winds out of the southeast are expected to bring in cleaner air across the state of Minnesota.