Air Quality Alert Issued, Stearns County in Affected Area

ST. CLOUD -- Stearns County is under an air quality alert until 6:00 p.m. Thursday.

The alert was issued by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The agency says fine particles levels have risen into the "orange" category. That means the air is unhealthy for people with conditions like asthma and heart disease, children and the elderly.

The cause is stagnant weather, which the MPCA says should clear up by Thursday night, as a front moves through the region.