Why North Dakota doesn’t issue air quality alerts like Minnesota

FARGO — For those that may be wondering why North Dakota doesn’t issue air quality alerts like Minnesota does, it’s because they don’t have meteorologists on staff.

The director of North Dakota’s Air Quality Division Jim Semerad said some states, like Minnesota, hire meteorologists to predict next-day outcomes for air quality.

According to Semerad, this is primarily done if the state itself struggles with wood smoke. Because North Dakota generally has good air quality, Semerad said they prioritize “same day monitoring,” rather than try to make the predictions that would lead to alerts.

“We place a high priority on our monitoring system, on our monitoring network, to make sure that it’s reading accurately and that the citizens can feel comfortable that those numbers are what they’re breathing,” Semerad said.

He also said they get the question a lot, and he hopes the answer will remain that it’s an unnecessary expense in North Dakota.

“It’s a service that really, thankfully, we don’t have to provide. On the other hand, at times with wildfires, it would be nice to have,” Semerad said.

Current North Dakota air quality conditions can be found at

airnow.gov

.