Minneapolis.
A closer look at the atmosphere.
Past radar echoes and modeled air quality over Minnesota.
Radar reflectivity
NOAA / NWS · MRMS mosaic
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Read the radar · color key
Reflectivity measures the strength of the returned radar signal in dBZ. Stronger echoes often accompany heavier precipitation, but hail, melting snow, and non-weather targets can change the signal. It does not directly tell you rain probability, precipitation type, or what reaches the ground. Blank or missing coverage is not an all-clear.
Radar: NOAA / NWS · past frames, approximately 10 minutes apart. Boundaries: US Census, generalized, including state waters.
What’s in the air?
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What do these readings mean?
AQI summarizes air pollution; a higher value means greater health concern. The overall index reflects the pollutant with the highest index. PM2.5 means tiny airborne particles. Smoke can contribute, but this reading alone cannot identify wildfire smoke.
CAMS estimates a broad area on an approximately 45 km global grid. These are model values, not a nearby air monitor. They can miss local smoke plumes. Hourly values may be interpolated. UV index describes sunburn-producing ultraviolet radiation; clouds can change it.
US AQI bands: 0–50 good; 51–100 moderate; 101–150 unhealthy for sensitive groups; 151–200 unhealthy; 201–300 very unhealthy; above 300 hazardous. Use AirNow’s observations and local advisories for health decisions.
Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS · CC BY 4.0. Categories: EPA / AirNow.