Duluth-Area Air Quality Alert Officially Issued into Thursday Morning
It has been a rough week or so across the Northland with not only with drought conditions, but air quality issues as well due to fires in the region. On Tuesday, the Duluth area experienced the worst Air Quality Index scores of the year and it looks like these conditions could become even worse over the day or two.
On Tuesday afternoon, MN Air Quality Index sent out a tweet indicating that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an Air Quality Alert, effective from noon Tuesday, July 20 through 6:00 a.m. Thursday, July 22.
Normally, those who feel the worst impacts of air quality issues such as this, which find air quality scores in the Orange category, are sensitive groups or those outside a lot, such as:
- Those with asthma or other breathing conditions
- People with heart disease or breathing conditions
- Children
- Older adults
- People of all ages doing extended or heavy physical activity outdoors
However the warning below indicates that some areas could face air quality issues that fall into the Purple category, which is further classified as 'Very Unhealthy' and the Red category, which is further classified as 'Unhealthy'. That means these are potentially dangerous conditions for everyone and not just for the categories of individuals listed above.
It's always a great idea to monitor air quality conditions during times like, especially if you're traveling around the region where conditions can vary from location to location.
As I wrote earlier Tuesday when I first noticed the poor air quality conditions in the Northland, this is something everyone needs to take seriously, but we should all be checking on those we know who are in the groups most sensitive to poor air quality.