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The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has extended the air quality alert that southeast Minnesota has been under since Tuesday, by one more day.

The alert will now go through 9 p.m. tonight. Throughout the day, the Air Quality Index is expected to reach  Orange, or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category.

Beneath sunny skies, warm temperatures and low humidity, the environment is favorable for the volatile organic compounds and nitrogen, both pollutants, meaning ground level ozone is expected to be high.

The National Weather Service is predicting a high of 89 today.

This could be particularly impactful for people with lung disease, heart disease, children and older adults.

Current conditions could change this week, however, as a system with the potential for rain and thunderstorms begins to slide into the area.

According to the NWS, there is a chance for showers and thunderstorms before 11 a.m. on Saturday. That chance will continue to grow throughout the day, into the evening and possibly carrying over into Sunday.