Lakeside or inside? Minnesotans are still flocking to lakes and parks Thursday despite warnings about air quality.
The air in the Twin Cities is still considered unhealthy, but that hasn't stopped many people from getting out and about on Lake Nokomis.
"Well, I've just been out biking for one of the few times so far this year," said one man. "It's hazy looking, but it didn't bother my throat or my eyes."
But still, some say it's putting a damper on our usually blue skies.
"We wanted to go boating and, you know, hang out," a woman told WCCO. "She's about to leave for college, so we want to see each other and honestly, the smoky skies, they do kind of bother me because it's like, it's really weird to not be able to see like the blue in the sky and everything."
An air quality alert has been issued for the entire state through Saturday as smoke from wildfires in Canada continues to drift south. It's affecting much more than Minnesota on Thursday with Air Quality Alerts across Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and even Nebraska.
It's prompting some to take action - and wear masks. Julie and Bill Thomas are from Indiana and are vacationing here in the Twin Cities.
"There's a lot of particulate matter in the air, so we made the choice to wear a filter," said Bill. "Because we're on vacation, we wanted to do a lot of walking and we were interested in walking down to the Walker Art Center. We knew it was going to be a 45-minute walk and we didn't want to be breathing bad air the entire time, as we're huffing and puffing down the road."
WCCO-TV Chief Meteorologist Chris Shaffer explains why we're stuck in this smoky pattern.
"High pressure is moving into the area, that's gonna drag the winds in from the north," Shaffer said. "Then when the high is over us, the air will just be stagnant and then not until the high kicks off into Wisconsin that the winds will start to come from the south. And that'll push that smoky air right back up into the Canadian region."
But until then? Be careful. Experts say people should limit time outdoors and limit car trips as well. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is reporting that the air quality alert is expected to last for several days.
Dr. Dorothy Curran is a pediatric pulmonologist with M Health Fairview and talked to WCCO's Susie Jones about the long term impact of exposure to bad air.
"Secondhand smoke or vaping and now the poor air quality from the forest fires, you think about how that's going to cause swelling or inflammation in your airways," says Dr. Curran. "And I think about any time you have anything that causes inflammation, it's like getting a sunburn to your lungs."
Curran says it's something parents need to watch with children who spend a lot of time outdoors.
"It's definitely something on parent's minds and they're noticing that their kids are coughing more when there's bad air quality," Curran adds. "And so not able to play outside as many days compared to past summers."
The entire State of Minnesota is in the Red or "Unhealthy" category meaning anyone is susceptible to the particulate matter in the air, not just those that are in sensitive categories.
Along Minnesota's North Shore of Lake Superior, it's even worse. They're in the Purple or "Very Unhealthy" category making it some of the worst air in the world at the moment.
AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM CDT SATURDAY
* WHAT...The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an Air Quality Alert for fine particles pollution. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to reach the Red or Unhealthy category.
* WHERE...West central, east central, central, south central, southeast, north central, northwest, southwest, and northeast Minnesota.
* WHEN...Until 5 PM CDT Saturday.
* IMPACTS...Some members of the general public may experience health effects. Sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease (including asthma), heart disease, and children and older adults, may experience health effects.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Northerly winds will continue transporting waves of heavy surface smoke from wildfires across Manitoba and Saskatchewan into Minnesota. Smoke will move south across all of Minnesota and linger through Saturday afternoon. The smoke will be reinforced by an area of high pressure that will create light winds and limit the dispersion of smoke. Therefore the air quality alert has been expanded to include all of Minnesota and extended until Saturday afternoon when the air quality is forecasted to improve.