Canadian wildfire smoke causes reduced visibility, poor air quality in northeastern Wisconsin
Smoke from Canadian wildfires is continuing to affect most of Wisconsin, with hazy skies and particles polluting air on the ground.
A combination of a high-pressure system over North America and winds blowing from Canada is bringing the smoke to Wisconsin, according to Roy Eckberg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Green Bay.
Not only is the air harder to breathe, the smoke has also reduced visibility on the ground in Green Bay and Appleton to mile and a half.
"It's the worst (from wildfire smoke) we've seen in 20 years," Eckberg said.
How long will the air quality advisory last?
The current air quality advisory is set to expire at noon Thursday.
"We're hoping for some improvement" by then, Eckberg said, adding the winds are expected to shift direction from west to east by the weekend.
However, he cautioned the air quality warning for northeastern Wisconsin could still be extended if the winds blowing from Canada persist, adding, "We may still have smoke Thursday afternoon."
As of Wednesday morning, the air in Appleton, Oshkosh, Wausau, Manitowoc and Sheboygan remains unhealthy for everyone, according to fire.airnow.gov. It's only slightly better in Green Bay.
In central Wisconsin, the timing of the air quality advisory ends just as the U.S. Senior Open begins in Stevens Point. However, the area seems to be under a low level advisory already, according to Rick LaFrombois, SentryWorld’s public relations specialist.
There is an understanding that the rain overnight Wednesday and changing winds will move the wildfire smoke out of the area, to improve the air quality on Thursday, LaFrombois said.
What do the colors in the Air Quality Index mean?
According to airnow.gov, the Air Quality Index is the Environmental Protection Agency's "yardstick" for measuring how unhealthy the air is in a given place.
The AQI runs from 0 to 500 and measures five common air pollutants. This includes particulate matter, which is what the smoke from the wildfires is bringing in.
Each color in the index represents a range of numbers and is meant to show how much the air poses a health risk. Green represents air that's healthy for everyone, while on the other end of the scale, maroon represents air that's hazardous to everyone.
The air in Milwaukee has been "very unhealthy" for everyone since Tuesday. As you go further north and west, the air quality improves, but certain groups may still need to take precautions.
Do I need to stay inside during an air quality alert?
That depends on whether you could be more sensitive to air pollution.
"Sensitive groups" in the air quality warnings include people with lung disease such as asthma, older adults, children, teenagers and people who are active outdoors, according to the National Weather Service. However, when the air quality is unhealthy enough, other members of the general public could also feel ill effects.
When the index is around or over 150, people in these groups should consider moving activities indoors, and everyone else should reduce outdoor activity and take more breaks, according to the EPA.
In Stevens Point, LaFrombois indicated SentryWorld has prepared for the situation by allowing visitors with health conditions to bring inhalers. Additionally, “Aspirus has a heavy presence on-site, including two medical tents and a bike EMS team should anyone have an issue,” he said.
Nationwide fire and smoke map
More: Air quality is bad in Wisconsin, here are ways to protect yourself and loved ones
Rebecca Loroff is a breaking and trending news reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her at rloroff@gannett.com.
Caitlin Shuda contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Wildfire smoke causes reduced visibility, poor air quality in Appleton, Green Bay
