Minnesota’s summer last year was filled with a record number of air quality alerts as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south and significantly impacted much of the region. Will this summer be different?

Gov. Tim Walz and leaders of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) gathered to discuss the 2024 outlook on Thursday afternoon as part of Air Quality Awareness Week.

Several things factor into air quality, including things that can’t be easily predicted, like fires. While the initial outlook is at least more promising than last year, it’s still not great.

Based on anticipated high temperatures and an above-average number of expected wildfires, the MPCA is forecasting another summer with more air quality alerts than normal, although not as many as last year.

Part of that is due to the persistence of droughts across parts of Canada and Minnesota that can contribute to large wildfires.

“Wildfires in Canada and other states have a significant impact on Minnesota’s air quality, and last year was profound,” MPCA lead meteorologist Matt Taraldsen said. “Our meteorologists are closely monitoring air quality around the state, and we are committed to providing accurate information promptly so that everyone can stay informed about changing conditions.”

Despite conditions last year, the MPCA notes that air pollution levels in the state have steadily declined over the past few decades. On the other hand, climate change is helping fuel pollution increases in other ways, like the extreme wildfires in Canada last year.

Smoke from those fires led the MPCA to issue 20 air quality alerts covering 52 days last summer, easily breaking the previous record of 13 alerts covering 42 days in all of 2021.

Additionally, the number of days with extremely poor air quality was also unusually high. The MPCA says Minnesota typically has a “red” air quality day once every decade. Last year, there were nine such days, including one day that produced the worst-ever air quality in the Twin Cities.

According to the MPCA, air pollution played a role in about 10% of all deaths in the Twin Cities metro back in 2015 and was also a serious factor in nearly 500 hospitalizations. Air pollution also tends to have a greater impact on low-income residents and minorities, as they often have higher rates of health conditions — including asthma and lung and heart conditions like heart disease and COPD — that make them more susceptible to poor air quality, the MPCA says.

Officials say it’s important, especially for those impacted most by poor air quality, to be aware of conditions. The MPCA has daily air quality forecasts and a map showing current air quality conditions, plus residents can sign up for alerts and forecasts via email or the EPA’s AirNow app.

For more information on the health impacts air quality can have, click here.