Thousands of people have been asked to avoid driving for three days

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an alert asking thousands of Minnesotans to reduce driving Friday afternoon through Sunday due to poor air quality.

An air quality alert will go into effect for parts of western Minnesota at 3:00 PM Central Time Friday and expire at 6:00 PM Central Time Sunday. The fine particulate pollution is caused by “heavy ground-level smoke” that is expected to move into the northwestern part of the state by Friday afternoon, according to the alert, which was Issued through the National Weather Service (NWS).

The smoke is coming from wildfires burning across Canada, NWS meteorologist Tyler Thomas said Newsweek.

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“Winds from the north behind a strong low pressure system will push the smoke south over the Red River valley,” the alert said. “Smoke will reach the border around 3pm and reach the Fargo/Moorhead area around 6pm on Friday. Northerly winds will persist for several days, and additional smoke is expected to move into northern Minnesota Saturday afternoon. The alert area may need to be expanded. to account for additional areas that may be affected by heavy smoke.”

The alert is in effect for thousands of people living in Clay, Kittson, Norman, West Marshall, West Polk and Wilkin counties, including the cities of Crookston, East Grand Forks and Moorhead.

The alert said the smoke would worsen air quality until it reached the red, or unhealthy, category Friday afternoon. Levels could improve to orange, or unhealthy for sensitive groups, by Saturday.

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“Smoke will persist through at least Sunday as light northerly winds are expected to continue into Monday,” the alert said.

To further reduce pollution that could worsen air quality, the NWS alert advised residents in the affected area not to drive if possible.

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“Reduce or eliminate activities that contribute to air pollution, such as open burning and the use of residential wood-burning devices,” the alert states. “Reduce vehicle trips and idling as much as possible. Keep windows closed overnight to prevent smoke from entering.”

Unhealthy air quality occurs when the air quality index falls between 151 and 200. At this level, some people may experience adverse health effects, with sensitive groups such as those with lung disease being more severely affected.

So far this year, Thomas said, the Minnesota area hasn’t required as many air quality alerts as is typical for the summer months. He added that forecasters do not expect any major impacts from the smoke.

Air quality alerts are also in effect in Montana, Colorado, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.