CHANHASSEN (WJON News) -- The National Weather Service has issued an Air Quality Alert that includes all of Stearns, Benton, and Sherburne counties.

The alert is from Noon until 8:00 p.m. It covers portions of central and southern Minnesota.

The poor air quality will be the worst during the afternoon when the sun is the warmest.

The ground-level ozone is expected to reach the orange category which means unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups.

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Sunny skies, warm temperatures, and low humidity will create an environment favorable for two types of pollutants (Volatile Organic Compounds and Nitrogen Oxides) to react in the air to produce ground-level ozone.

Ozone levels will be low during the overnight and morning. The air quality will improve on Tuesday when a weather system will move across the state and bring increased moisture, clouds, and scattered thunderstorms.

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