Canadian wildfire smoke prompts air quality warnings in Minnesota, Wisconsin

Much of Minnesota and Wisconsin were under air quality warnings early Monday due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.

Fine air particles in the Twin Cities reached as high as 184 on the Air Quality Index, considered “unhealthy” by the federal government’s air quality tracker. Unhealthy levels of air quality stretched from St. Cloud, Minn., to Eau Claire, Wis., on Monday.

There are six uncontrolled wildfires in Canada, according to the country’s Natural Resources Department, with more than 60 controlled blazes. Most of the fires are centered in northern Alberta and northeast British Columbia, with the smoke tracking southeast into the U.S.

This week marked the beginning of the 2024 fire season, the department warned, with warm and dry weather bringing an increased risk of wildfires. The country was ravaged by wildfires in 2023, with a record 6,500 fires covering much of the central and eastern U.S. with thick smoke in June and July.

Regulators warned Americans in affected areas to avoid time outside, especially those with respiratory problems.

Air quality warnings were issued for the entirety of southern Minnesota and almost all of Wisconsin on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, also reported unhealthy air quality.