An air-quality alert was in effect across parts of northern Minnesota on Friday evening, and the unhealthy outdoor conditions will move east across the northern part of the state and last through Monday.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said in a news release Friday that heavy ground-level smoke from wildfires is expected to move across the Red River Valley and span all the way to Lake Superior.
The affected areas include East Grand Forks and Moorhead, Bemidji and east toward Two Harbors, Hibbing, Ely and Duluth. International Falls, Roseau and the tribal nations of Leech Lake, Red Lake, Grand Portage, Mille Lacs, and Fond du Lac are also in the alert.
The Fargo/Moorhead area was affected around 6 p.m. Friday and the pollution will move into northern Minnesota by Saturday afternoon. The MPCA said that red air quality — a level considered unhealthy for everyone — may improve to orange Saturday. The alert area could also expand as northerly winds behind a strong low-pressure system pull smoke south.
By Friday evening, the MPCA updated the alert to orange, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Arctic Cat put Thief River Falls on the map. Can the town save the company from shuttering?
Why did at least 67 people die in Christmas charity stampedes in struggling Nigeria?
2 US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent 'friendly fire' incident, US military says
What Trump's decision to wade into spending fight tells us about the next 4 years
