For those who awoke this morning and looked out the window at what appeared to be fog found out it was actually smoke from wildfires in Canada. At 10 p.m. last night, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency declared an Air Quality Alert for all of Minnesota with the exception of the Arrowhead Region until 3 p.m. Friday (July 30).

With winds switching from the south to the north, it has pulled down the smoke from the massive fires in Manitoba and Ontario. The Air Quality Index is going to be in the Orange category for the next two days – a designation deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups like the elderly, children and those with medical conditions that affect their breathing.