Yes, it smells like poop around the Twin Cities today
The smell of poop is permeating the air around the Twin Cities metro on Friday.
People from Minneapolis to Eden Prairie and Chaska to Burnsville questioned the "farm stench" they were smelling in posts on social media, while others who are all too familiar with the stinky breeze cracked jokes about it.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency confirmed to Bring Me The News that it's likely that people are, in fact, smelling poop.
Farmers often spread manure on their fields in the fall, and depending on which way the wind is blowing, people may get a whiff if they're downwind.
BMTN meteorologist Sven Sundgaard tweeted about the foul smell, saying winds are coming from the southwest.
That, coupled with the potentially record-breaking temperatures, likely isn't helping it smell any better outside, especially for those who aren't accustomed to the odors of livestock.
This annual tradition of smelling poop in the air isn't limited to the Twin Cities. Last year, the smell of farms from Minnesota reached all the way to Kansas City, Missouri – and people there called 911 because the stench was so bad.
Here's the MPCA's David Brown's full explanation of the stinky situation:
"We believe the source of the smells is the same as in previous autumns. This time of year it is common to experience the smell of manure and fertilizer originating from farm fields across southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. With harvest ongoing, these smells may be present until late fall when the ground freezes. In the Twin Cities, we notice these smells when the winds are from the south, southwest, or west. Strong winds can carry these odors hundreds of miles and into populated areas.
"The smell is evident today because the winds are out of the south-southwest helping to transport manure odor and dust from farm fields in Iowa/southwest MN to the Twin Cities area. Wednesday and yesterday the winds were generally from the east/southeast so the transport was from southern Wisconsin where corn/soybean acreage is less compared to IA/southern MN. A strong low-level inversion is also present across the region, which may be helping to trap the odors near the ground.
"Given the drought conditions this area has been experiencing lately there is also plenty of dust being kicked up by crop harvest. In addition, elevated smoke from wildfires in Colorado and California may be mixing down to the ground. Overall, the air quality is forecast to be in the Yellow (moderate) category today across the southern half of the state. A cold front is making its way across the state today and by this evening winds in the Twin Cities will switch from the northwest. This will bring in a new airmass and clean out the area. North winds tomorrow should keep the odor away, but southerly winds (and possibly the odor) return on Sunday."
