{"id":3563,"date":"2025-06-04T13:33:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T17:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/us.weatheramerica.com\/?p=3563"},"modified":"2025-06-27T04:15:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T08:15:10","slug":"weather-emergency-in-minnesota-unprecedented-maroon-air-alert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/06\/04\/weather-emergency-in-minnesota-unprecedented-maroon-air-alert\/","title":{"rendered":"Weather emergency in Minnesota: unprecedented ‘Maroon’ air alert"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Old architecture at dusk on street in Old Montreal in Canada<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Historic alert issued Monday, June 2, for hazardous smoke<\/strong><\/p>\n

From Monday, June 2, through Wednesday, June 4, 2025<\/strong>, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)<\/strong> has declared a Maroon Air Quality Alert<\/strong> for the first time in state history<\/strong>. This new classification, above the standard Purple Alert<\/strong>, signifies hazardous air conditions<\/strong>\u2014a warning level never before used in Minnesota<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Where is the Maroon Alert in effect?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Maroon Alert<\/strong> is currently impacting Northwest Minnesota<\/strong>, particularly the region stretching from Red Lake toward the northwest<\/strong>, encompassing Roseau<\/strong> and East Grand Forks<\/strong>. The MPCA Air Quality Index<\/strong> has reached its most severe level here.<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

What does a Maroon Alert mean?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A Maroon Alert<\/strong> indicates that air pollution is at hazardous levels for everyone<\/strong>. According to MPCA guidance:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \n

    Everyone is at risk<\/strong> of health symptoms, including eye, nose, and throat irritation<\/strong>, coughing<\/strong>, tightness in the chest<\/strong>, and shortness of breath<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    More severe health outcomes are possible: asthma attacks<\/strong>, heart attacks<\/strong>, or even strokes<\/strong>, regardless of prior health conditions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    The sky in affected regions will appear heavily smoky<\/strong>, with low visibility<\/strong> and a strong smell of smoke<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    All residents<\/strong> are strongly advised to avoid any physical activity outdoors<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/h3>\n

    Purple Alert follows closely behind<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Simultaneously, a Purple Alert<\/strong>\u2014representing \u201cvery unhealthy\u201d air quality<\/strong>\u2014was issued for the second time ever in Minnesota<\/strong>. This level of pollution affects a broader section of northern Minnesota<\/strong>, including:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • \n

      Northern St. Louis County<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      International Falls<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      Bemidji<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      Brainerd<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      Moorhead<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      In these areas, everyone should avoid prolonged outdoor activity<\/strong>, and sensitive individuals<\/strong>\u2014such as children, older adults, and those with respiratory conditions\u2014should remain indoors<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      <\/h3>\n

      Red air quality levels cover most of Minnesota<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      The rest of the state<\/strong>, apart from the far southwest<\/strong> and southeast corners<\/strong>, remains under a Red Alert<\/strong>, classified as \u201cUnhealthy\u201d<\/strong>. This means:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • \n

        Everyone<\/strong> may begin to notice symptoms such as respiratory irritation<\/strong> or breathing difficulty<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      • \n

        More vulnerable people<\/strong>, including those with asthma<\/strong> or heart disease<\/strong>, could experience serious complications<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \n

        Stay alert and indoors if you’re in Minnesota this week<\/strong>, especially in northwestern<\/strong> and northern regions<\/strong>. Conditions are expected to remain critical through June 4<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Historic alert issued Monday, June 2, for hazardous smoke From Monday, June 2, through Wednesday, June 4, 2025, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has declared a Maroon Air Quality Alert for the first time in state history. This new classification, above the standard Purple Alert, signifies hazardous air conditions\u2014a warning level never before used […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWeather emergency in Minnesota: unprecedented 'Maroon' air alert - United States - Weather America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/06\/04\/weather-emergency-in-minnesota-unprecedented-maroon-air-alert\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Weather emergency in Minnesota: unprecedented 'Maroon' air alert - United States - Weather America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Historic alert issued Monday, June 2, for hazardous smoke From Monday, June 2, through Wednesday, June 4, 2025, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has declared a Maroon Air Quality Alert for the first time in state history. This new classification, above the standard Purple Alert, signifies hazardous air conditions\u2014a warning level never before used […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/06\/04\/weather-emergency-in-minnesota-unprecedented-maroon-air-alert\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"United States - Weather America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-04T17:33:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-27T08:15:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/Minnesota-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1696\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Daniel Swain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Daniel Swain\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/06\/04\/weather-emergency-in-minnesota-unprecedented-maroon-air-alert\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/06\/04\/weather-emergency-in-minnesota-unprecedented-maroon-air-alert\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Daniel Swain\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/#\/schema\/person\/cd71e646398f7e54b04cfbb293b310c7\"},\"headline\":\"Weather emergency in Minnesota: unprecedented ‘Maroon’ air alert\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-04T17:33:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-27T08:15:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/06\/04\/weather-emergency-in-minnesota-unprecedented-maroon-air-alert\/\"},\"wordCount\":367,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/06\/04\/weather-emergency-in-minnesota-unprecedented-maroon-air-alert\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/06\/Minnesota-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/06\/04\/weather-emergency-in-minnesota-unprecedented-maroon-air-alert\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/06\/04\/weather-emergency-in-minnesota-unprecedented-maroon-air-alert\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/weatheramerica.com\/us\/2025\/06\/04\/weather-emergency-in-minnesota-unprecedented-maroon-air-alert\/\",\"name\":\"Weather emergency in Minnesota: unprecedented 'Maroon' air alert - 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