In Minnesota, Canada Wildfire Smoke Descends in an Unhealthy Haze
As a gray cloud and a pungent smell moved through the Twin Cities on Wednesday, normally bustling bike lanes and running trails were largely deserted. Several commuters wore high-quality masks as they made their way home.
The air quality reached unhealthy levels in Minneapolis, St. Paul and much of Minnesota on Wednesday, as the Upper Midwest became the latest pocket of the country to have its air fouled by smoke drifting south from wildfires that have been burning across Canada for weeks.
As in New York and much of the East Coast last week, Minnesotans were looking to the skies and to the Air Quality Index to make sense of what was going on around them. On Wednesday, Minneapolis and St. Paul recorded Air Quality Index readings above 250, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advises is “very unhealthy” for most people.
The smoke spread across other parts of the Upper Midwest, too. Eau Claire, Wis., had an A.Q.1. of 190 on Wednesday evening, and Fargo, N.D., a reading of 180.
Source: The New York Times
