(WWJ) An Air Quality Adivisory for Southeast Michigan is in effect to midnight Friday, June 6.
The alert was issued by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) due to wildfire smoke coming down from Canada.
As of 2 p.m. on Friday, IQAir ranked Detroit as the major city with the worst air in the entire word. [See the current rankings]
Who is impacted?
According to EGLE, the smoke will persist over Metro Detroit, impacting Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Washtenaw, Lenawee and Monroe counties, as it blows south from Canada.
It was quite a sight at the Mackinac Bridge on Wednesday, as the smoke was lingering over the massive structure that connects Lower Michigan with the Upper Peninsula. The smoke didn't stop traffic, but the Michigan Bridge Authority made note of the hazard, sharing a photo on social media.
What does this mean?
An advisory is issued when the Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to reach the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" (Orange) level. This means that while the general public might not experience significant effects, individuals with respiratory conditions like asthma, heart disease, older adults, children, and pregnant people may be more sensitive to the elevated pollution levels. This differs from the Air Quality Alert — issued when the AQI is expected to reach the "Unhealthy" (Red) level or higher, including Very Unhealthy (Purple) and Hazardous (Maroon) level — which expired at noon on Friday.
What should you do?
It is recommended that, when possible, you avoid strenuous outdoor activities, especially those with heart disease and respiratory diseases like asthma. Monitor for symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, dizziness, or burning in nose, throat, and eyes. Reduce or eliminate activities that contribute to air pollution, such as: outdoor burning, use of residential wood burning devices.
Tips for households:
Keep windows closed overnight to prevent smoke from getting indoors and, if possible, run central air conditioning with MERV-13 or higher rated filters
As for when we can expect the smoke to dissipate, that may be soon. Michigan DNR fire prevention specialist Paul Rogers told WWJ's Beth Fisher that conditions have already improved in the U.P.
"The smoke's being blown down... because we had some northwest winds carrying the smoke into our area," Rogers said, early this week. "And, I mean, it was really bad in the Upper Peninsula yesterday (Tuesday), but it's just the out of control fires. So, we had a lot of rain. I'm actually, up in Marquette...and the skies are real clear. The rain really knocked it out yesterday."
For up-to-date air quality data for Michigan visit the MiAir site at THIS LINK.
Stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 for more during traffic and weather, every 10 minutes on the 8s.