Overview
- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an air-quality alert for noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday covering the Twin Cities metro, St. Cloud, Sauk Centre, Long Prairie, Little Falls and the Prairie Island and Mille Lacs tribal nations.
- Forecasters say mostly sunny skies, warm temperatures and low humidity will let volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides react with sunlight to form ground-level ozone that will rise late morning, peak in the afternoon and fall by early evening.
- Air quality may reach the orange Air Quality Index level, which the MPCA says is unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma, COPD, children and older adults and can cause shortness of breath, wheeze, coughing or unusual fatigue.
- Officials advised people with breathing problems to limit or postpone outdoor exertion, to follow inhaler or treatment plans if needed, and warned that typical masks do not filter ozone and can make breathing harder.
- The MPCA urged residents to cut emissions by reducing driving, avoiding midday refueling, postponing gasoline-powered lawn equipment and skipping backyard fires, and state forecasts say a strong El Niño this season raises the risk of more ozone and smoky days.