WINONA, Minn. – Smoke from western Canada wildfires that prompted health warnings in the Upper Midwest over the weekend have abated — for now. Prevailing winds had left a milky haze as far south as Iowa and east into Wisconsin. But for now the winds have eased and shifted. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued its first statewide air quality alert of the season Sunday. So did Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The National Weather Service noted that 90 fires were burning in British Columbia and Alberta – short of 200 a year ago. The severity of problematic and unhealthy air in the Upper Midwest in coming weeks will hinge on weather conditions and wind patterns, meteorologists said.
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