The Greenwood fire really put out a thick plume of smoke on Monday, with the eastern edge of this smoke plume reaching all the way to central Lake Superior, as winds shifted to the NE earlier Tuesday morning, it helped push this thick plume of smoke SW down Lake Superior and into Duluth and Superior, and a heavy smell of smoke lingers in the Twin Ports as of early Tuesday afternoon.
This satellite loop was from Monday, August 23, 2021 – Note the smoke plume reaching out into central Lake Superior from the Greenwood fire. Note: Widespread clouds over the Northland so far today makes it difficult to pick up how extensive this smoke plume is on satellite imagery.
Note: An Air Quality Alert is in effect through 3 PM Wednesday, August 25, 2021 including the cities of Duluth, Cloquet, Hibbing, Ely, Virginia, Hoyt Lakes, Babbitt, Isabella, Two Harbors, Silver Bay and Grand Marais.
Smoke smell in Duluth and Superior should slowly improve through this evening as winds become more southeasterly, but more improvement is likely on Wednesday as winds become northwesterly which should keep the surface smoke off to the north, but winds shift back to the northeast on Thursday, and this could cause thicker surface smoke from the Greenwood fire to move back into Duluth and Superior.
AQI or Air Quality Index values are >101 or considered unhealthy due to wildfire smoke over much of the Northland late this morning.
I’m not certain, but the darker green returns which have been showing up on Duluth’s radar late this morning may be wildfire smoke being picked up by radar.
Greenwood fire has grown to 19,493 acres with 0% containment per latest report from InciWeb.
Note: Arrows on the map indicate forecast wind directions.
Today’s winds (magenta) East to southeast
Wednesday’s winds (orange) Northwest
Tim
