RRFS Smoke from Northern Minnesota and Ontario Wildfires

Wildfires in the Boundary Waters region of northern Minnesota and adjacent parts of Ontario produced widespread smoke across Minnesota this week, leading to evacuations near Ely. This experimental RRFS forecast shows the modeled transport of that smoke as it moved across the state. Surface fine-particle (PM2.5) concentrations reached the "hazardous" category of the Air Quality Index across much of Minnesota, including Duluth, Ely, and the Twin Cities, and set a new state record for hourly PM2.5 measured since monitoring began in 2014. At an Ely monitor, the Air Quality Index registered above 1,600 — a value that reflects PM2.5 concentrations well beyond the index's standard 0–500 range. Exposure at these levels can affect the respiratory and cardiovascular health of the general population. This smoke model will transition to NOAA operations as part of RRFS later this year.