Air quality alert issued for Otter Tail County through Sunday

Outdoor workers, youth sports teams, lake visitors, older adults and people with asthma in Otter Tail County were being told to scale back hard activity and move plans to the morning as an air quality alert covered the county through Sunday evening. The warning took effect at noon Saturday, June 6, and was set to run until 11 p.m. Sunday, June 7.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said air quality was expected to reach the orange AQI category, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups. The National Weather Service included Otter Tail County in its alert as East Otter Tail and West Otter Tail, alongside nearby counties including Becker, Grant, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Norman, Wadena, Wilkin and Polk.

State forecasters said mostly sunny skies, warm temperatures and low humidity were helping form ground-level ozone, the pollutant that tends to build on hot afternoons. The agency said ozone levels would drop after sunset Saturday, stay lower Sunday morning and then rise again Sunday afternoon. Although Sunday’s forecast was more complicated because of possible clouds and precipitation, the alert was extended through Sunday evening after forecasters saw precursors on NASA’s TEMPO satellite.

For Otter Tail County, the timing mattered for the weekend rhythm of the lakes, parks and ballfields. Families heading to the water, organizers of tournaments and workers who spend long hours outside were advised to avoid prolonged or heavy exertion during the worst of the afternoon buildup. That is especially important for people with lung disease, heart disease, asthma and other breathing conditions, along with children, teenagers, older adults and anyone doing heavy physical activity outdoors.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said people without outdoor plans should move them to morning hours or after nightfall, and its forecast page warned that masks can make ozone exposure worse by holding ozone closer to the face. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources also said it would not issue or activate burning permits in counties affected by the alert to avoid adding more pollutants to already stressed air.

State meteorologists have been warning for weeks that Minnesota is heading into an active air-quality season, with recurring ozone and wildfire smoke events expected to resemble 2024. For Otter Tail County, that means another reminder that summer air can shift quickly, especially when sun and heat line up over a weekend built around the outdoors.