Wildfires in Canada are continuing to pour smoke into Minnesota, triggering another red alert, a week after the state was said to have one of the worst air qualities in the world.

The red alert, issued by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, means that the air quality is unhealthy for everyone. It will begin at 9 a.m. Sunday and last until 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12, for large portions of the state, including the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

The agency cautions anyone in the red alert area and sensitive groups in its orange alert area to reduce outdoor physical activities, take more breaks and avoid intense activities to reduce exposure.

The affected areas include the Twin Cities metro, Brainerd, Alexandria, Albert Lea, Marshall, Worthington, Rochester, Hinckley, St. Cloud, Winona, Ortonville, Mankato, Bemidji, East Grand Forks, Moorhead, International Falls, Two Harbors, Hibbing, Ely, Duluth, Roseau, and the Tribal Nations of Upper Sioux, Mille Lacs, Prairie Island, Leech Lake, White Earth, Red Lake, Grand Portage and Fond du Lac.

The poor air quality will most likely hit western Minnesota on Sunday morning and then spread east throughout the day and into the evening. The heavy smoke, traveling from west to east, should disperse by Tuesday morning.

“Fine particle pollution from wildfire smoke can irritate eyes, nose and throat, and cause coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness or fatigue,” according to the MPCA. “Smoke particles are small enough that they can be breathed deeply into lungs and enter the bloodstream. This can lead to illnesses such as bronchitis or aggravate existing chronic heart and lung diseases, triggering heart palpitations, asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes.”

Real-time information about the state’s air-quality conditions can be found at https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air-water-land-climate/current-air-quality-conditions.

This latest alert follows several others that have been issued this summer due to the Canadian wildfires. Last week, the Switzerland-based air-quality-monitoring database IQAir, which assesses air quality in real time, listed the city of Minneapolis as having some of the worst air pollution in the world.

The EPA’s Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number. The lower the number, the better. Anything below 50 is classified as “healthy.” Fifty to 100 is “moderate” while 100 to 150 is unhealthy for “sensitive groups.” Anything above 150 is bad for everyone. Parts of Minnesota exceeded that number last Saturday.

This report includes information from the Associated Press.