“Hazardous for Everyone”

If you woke up to your neighborhood smelling like campfire, you’re not alone.

Poor air quality is forecast for nearly all of Minnesota Thursday due to wildfires.

Air quality has reached the maroon category for much of eastern Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro, meaning it is hazardous for everyone, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

The MPCA says anyone in the maroon or hazardous area should avoid any outdoor activity and stay inside.

Farther west in Minnesota, purple – very unhealthy – and red – unhealthy – alerts are in effect.

The MPCA says heavy smoke will remain across the state Thursday as existing smoke recirculates and mixes with new smoke from wildfires across northeastern Minnesota and southern Canada.

Heavy smoke remains possible beyond the alert expiration time across portions of northeast Minnesota, but the potential for rain Friday could greatly reduce smoke output and improve air quality, according to the MPCA. As for the rest of the state, a cold front is expected bring cleaner air on northwest winds through the day Friday.

– Anna Haecherl
“Hazardous Air Quality Forecast for Much of Minnesota Thursday”
Minnesota Public Radio News
July 16, 2026

Related Off-site Links:
100 Million People in North America Face Air Quality Alerts – Democracy Now! (July 16, 2026).
When the Wildfires Rage, Who Gets to Breathe First? – Brandi Morin (Indigenous Insider, July 15, 2026).
U.S. Government Report Details “Robust” Ties Between Climate Crisis and Extreme Weather Events – Olivia Rosane (Common Dreams, July 16, 2026).
Out-of-Control Canadian Wildfires Prompt Calls for “Nuremberg Trials for Big Oil” – Olivia Rosane (Common Dreams, July 16, 2026).
Air Quality Alert Expanded Across Most of Minnesota; Hazardous Conditions Expected Due to Wildfire Smoke – Andrew Krueger (MPR News, July 14, 2026).


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• A Smoky Summer (2025)
• James Greenberg: “The Choices We Make Matter”
• “Smoke Plume” in Minneapolis (2023)
• Capital Weather Gang: Quote of the Day – June 7, 2023
• “It Is in Our Hands”
• George Monbiot: Quote of the Day – July 21, 2022
• Declaration of Interdependence
• Biophilia, the God Pan, and a Baboon Named Scott
• Bernie Sanders: Quote of the Day – July 1, 2021
• The Stakes Have Shifted
• The Link Between Destruction of Biodiversity and Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Something to Think About – February 10, 2020
• In Australia, “the Land As We Know It Is No More”
• Greta Thunberg: Quote of the Day – September 23, 2019
• Five Powerful Responses to the Amazon Fires
• Greta Thunberg: Quote of the Day – March 16, 2019
• As the World Burns, Calls for a “Green New Deal”
• Marianne Williamson: Quote of the Day – August 29, 2017
• The People’s Climate Solidarity March – Minneapolis, 4/29/17
• “It Is All Connected”
• Standing Together
• Standing in Prayer and Solidarity with the Water Protectors of Standing Rock
• The Paris Climate Talks, Multilateralism, and a “New Approach to Climate Action”
• Rachel Smolker: Quote of the Day – September 19, 2014
• Superstorm Sandy: A “Wake-Up Call” on Climate Change
• Chris Hedges: Quote of the Day – May 31, 2011

Images 1, 4 and 5: Michael J. Bayly.
Image 2: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Image 3: Lyndon Tyler (Canada).
Image 6: GSL.