Minneapolis had the fifth worst air quality among 125 cites worldwide on Saturday morning, according to an international air quality monitoring platform.
Only Kinshasa, Congo; Kolkata, India; Baghdad, Iraq; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, registered worst air quality, according to IQ Air.
However, Minneapolis was dropping in the rankings as the day progressed. As of Saturday evening, the city had fallen to 14th place with an AQI of 98, putting it on the upper end of the moderate category.
Among American cities, Los Angeles and Chicago trailed farther down the list compiled by IQAir, a Swiss company that claims to operate the world’s largest real-time air quality monitoring platform.
Smoke from wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan continue to foul the air in Minnesota, leading the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to extend the state’s air quality alert to Monday. The alert was set to lift Saturday evening as winds were forecast to drive unhealthy smoke particles north, but smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting south to Tennessee and Missouri slowed that.
Officials warn that tiny particles in the smoke can enter the bloodstream and cause breathing problems and other health concerns, leading to an increase in emergency room visits.