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Air quality concerns remain through Friday with slightly cooler air

Shower and storm chances Friday p.m. and first half of Saturday

Better rain chances late Monday into Tuesday; then much cooler

Discussion

Air quality concerns remain through Friday with slightly cooler air

Bottom line upfront is: In coordination with Michigan Environmental, Great Lakes, Energy (EGLE), the smoke is expected to remain prevalent an very unhealthy to hazardous through most of Friday. The smoke has spread across the entire state now behind the weak cool front that dropped through late yesterday. The wind fields remain weak, and what wind there is continues to draw down better smoke concentrations from the north for the time being.

We do not see a major change in the situation until likely later Friday. At that time, we see a large scale increase in the wind from the SW ahead of the next incoming front poised to move through Saturday. Smoke models that have had a clue with this smoke event indicate that these winds will try to push the smoke out Friday evening. Whether that is it for the smoke for this event is very uncertain due to what happens with the fires over NE MN and Ontario, what smoke plumes do, and then how the smoke plumes move with the passage of the system.

Shower and storm chances Friday p.m. and first half of Saturday

Back to the actual weather, we look to remain dry through tonight, before rain chances arrive Friday morning across Central Lower, and Friday afternoon for the southern half of the area.

We see a weak short wave traverse from Northern Minnesota and to over Lake Superior and the U.P. tonight. The tail end of the few showers/isolated storms could clip our far northern portion of the area Friday morning. Obviously with a lack of daily heating, there will not be much of a threat of anything strong.