MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has officially issued an Air Quality Alert for ozone across the Greater Twin Cities area for Friday May 29, 2026, with the alert valid from noon through 9:00 PM Friday and air quality expected to reach the orange AQI category — designated as unhealthy for sensitive groups — across Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding metro counties during the afternoon hours.
Orange AQI Alert Covers Minneapolis, St. Paul and Surrounding Metro Counties
The MPCA Air Quality Alert issued at 2:29 PM on Thursday May 28, 2026 shows the orange Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups shading concentrated directly over the Minneapolis and St. Paul metro corridor on the statewide Minnesota alert map. The affected zone covers the core Twin Cities counties and extends into several surrounding suburban communities, placing millions of metro area residents within the air quality alert footprint for Friday afternoon.
The orange AQI category sits at the middle tier of the air quality index scale and specifically flags elevated health risks for children, the elderly, and individuals with pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions such as asthma, COPD, or heart disease. These sensitive groups are advised to limit their time outdoors and avoid prolonged or heavy physical exertion during the alert window.
Ground Level Ozone Expected to Peak Around Noon and Subside After Sunset
Ground-level ozone is expected to begin building to alert criteria levels starting around noon on Friday as solar radiation intensifies through the midday hours. The combination of warm temperatures, mostly sunny skies, and low humidity creates ideal conditions for volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides to react with sunlight and produce ground-level ozone at concentrations that exceed healthy air quality thresholds across the metro.
Ozone concentrations are forecast to subside after sunset on Friday evening as solar radiation diminishes and the photochemical reaction driving ozone formation slows, bringing the alert period to a close at 9:00 PM.
Rest of Minnesota Remains Outside the Alert Zone With No Statewide Air Quality Concerns
The statewide MPCA alert map clearly shows the ozone air quality concern is tightly localized to the Twin Cities metro corridor, with the rest of Minnesota including Duluth, Moorhead, Bemidji, Brainerd, Rochester, and Mankato remaining outside the orange alert zone and within normal air quality parameters for Friday. The alert is strictly a metro area event driven by the unique combination of urban emissions and favorable ozone formation conditions forecast for Friday afternoon.
Sensitive groups across Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding metro communities should plan indoor activities during the noon to 9 PM window on Friday and check updated air quality information at pca.state.mn.us.
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