Climate

Minnesota skies getting smokier with climate change

Smoky skies over the Twin Cities in August 2017.
Smoky skies over the Twin Cities in August 2017. Wildfire smoke is causing 33 percent fewer blue sky days in Minnesota during the summer.
Paul Huttner | MPR News 2017

Minnesota is seeing 33 percent fewer blue-sky days each summer as climate change fuels more frequent and powerful wildfires in western Canada.

You can read more about it here, or click play on the audio player above to learn more from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency meteorologist and air quality scientist Daniel Dix.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this episode included an incorrect reference to the origin of the phrase "land of sky blue waters." It has been removed. The phrase comes from the Dakota word from which Minnesota’s name is derived.