Air Quality Alert Issued in North Eastern North Dakota, Northern Minnesota

FARGO, N.D. — That hazy sky you’ve been seeing all weekend is because of wildfires in Canada.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an air quality alert through the day because the smoke stretched from Northern Minnesota all the way to Wahpeton. The agency says the air is unhealthy for people who have asthma or breathing conditions as well as children and teens. The National Weather Service in Grand Forks says typically the smoke comes from fires farther away in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Now it’s coming from Manitoba and Ontario.

“This is a fire that’s closer to our area plus we had high pressure which pushes the smoke downward and that’s kind of contributed to what we’re seeing right now with the smoke actually near the surface compared to what we’ve seen in the past,” said Ryan Knutsvig, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service in Grand Forks.

Meteorologists say visibility was also reduced in many areas. In Fargo, you could only see two miles in front of you.