Hazy skies remain across parts of the state Monday as smoke from Canadian wildfires lingers.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued an air quality alert at 11 a.m. on Sunday, which was scheduled to remain in place until noon on Monday. However, the agency extended that alert until 11 p.m. for the Twin Cities metro area and southern Minnesota.

The area impacted by the extension includes the Twin Cities metro, Albert Lea, Marshall, Worthington, Rochester, Winona, Mankato, and the tribal nation of Prairie Island.

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The alert is expected to reach the “red” category, which indicates the air is unhealthy for much of the state, across southern Minnesota.

According to MPCA officials, heavy smoke from wildfires in northeast British Columbia has made its way into Minnesota and is still lingering over the region.

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