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Temperatures will be near 90 in southern Minnesota

By Sven Sundgaard, Minnesota Public Radio News

Air quality alerts are posted Wednesday through early Thursday for much of Minnesota. Look for lots of sun with a hot afternoon Wednesday and Thursday for southern Minnesota.

Hot Wednesday south with smoky skies

In a familiar pattern this summer, air quality alerts are posted for most of Minnesota Wednesday into Thursday. We all have smoke aloft from Canada making the skies hazy and that smoke is making its way to the surface in northern Minnesota.

In southern Minnesota, the main concern is surface level ozone, which increases with hot, sunny weather and light winds.

The alert is in effect until 6 a.m. Thursday for most of northern Minnesota and from 12 p.m. through 8 p.m. Wednesday for southern Minnesota.

Check the latest air quality conditions:

Here are air quality forecasts for the next couple of days:

It will also be hot across southern Minnesota with highs near 90 degrees. Cooler air sneaks into northern Minnesota keeping temperatures there into the 70s and 80s.

That slightly cooler air slides a bit more south Thursday dropping temperatures just a few degrees across central Minnesota with highs still close to 90 for some in southwestern Minnesota.

Rain possible Friday into Saturday; dry overall

We’re still looking at a hopeful chance of some scattered showers and a few thunderstorms late Friday in western Minnesota and for much of central and southern Minnesota Saturday as a disturbance moves across Minnesota.

Unfortunately, this system is now looking less impressive than it did a couple days ago with less moisture content available thanks to the return of some slightly cooler and drier air moving north to south Wednesday into Thursday.

The best chance of any significant rainfall looks to be in southwestern Minnesota.

Areas like the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, where a wildfire is burning, may see little or nothing. The drought region over east-central Minnesota may see only light amounts. Temperatures are heating back up again next week.