By Grace Jacobson / News Director

2023 will go down in history as the year Minnesotans checked the weather and air quality index before leaving the house.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued 21 air quality alerts in 2023, which came to a total of 52 air quality alert days.

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires caused well over half of the total AQI alerts.

And: The MnPCA issued a record number of nine red alerts in response to overall air pollution.