Overview
- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert for the Twin Cities warning that ground-level ozone will reach orange Air Quality Index levels, which are unhealthy for older adults, children and people with heart or lung conditions.
- Forecasters say sunny skies, warm temperatures and low humidity help volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides react with sunlight to form ground-level ozone, the pollutant named in the alert.
- Local forecasts predict above-normal temperatures will persist into next week, extending the weather pattern that produces higher ozone risk across the region.
- Health officials advise people at risk to limit strenuous outdoor activity when air quality is poor and to use filtered indoor air to reduce exposure to ozone and fine particles.
- State forecasters warned in early May that a strong El Niño and drier conditions would raise the season's odds of both wildfire smoke and multiple ozone events, building on many smoke-affected days in 2024.