Hazardous air quality across Michigan as wildfire smoke from Canada continues to spread
Wildfires across Canada are again causing Michigan residents to experience hazardous air quality and hazy, smoke-filled skies this week.
It started with wildfires in Alberta, Canada, which brought high-altitude smoke and filtered views of the sun to the Great Lakes region in late May. Now, wildfires in eastern Canada and northern Michigan have sent more smoke and haze to the state's skies, the National Weather Service said Monday.
Southeast Michigan is facing dangerous air quality levels, including around 150 parts per million (ppm, the number of pollutants per square meter of air) in Detroit and over 130 ppm in Ann Arbor. West Michigan also saw hazardous levels, including near 130 ppm in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.
Multiple waves of smoke and haze are impacting Michigan, thanks to wildfires in eastern Canada. A small smoke plume from the fire near Grayling is also barely visible. 9:36 am pic.twitter.com/PpIoZBHDc7
— NWS Gaylord (@NWSGaylord) June 4, 2023
On the scale of air quality ratings, 101-150 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups and 151-200 is unhealthy for the general public, according to the U.S. Air Quality Index. Sensitive groups impacted could include those with asthma or other health conditions.
More: Dry conditions, no rain in sight have Michigan at 'unprecedented' wildfire danger levels
The air conditions began to change in late May, bringing clouds of smoke and haze. This came from 108 wildfires burning in Alberta, causing more than 25,000 residents to evacuate from the affected region.
The Accuweather Detroit smoke map shows the current air quality conditions in southeast Michigan.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan sees hazardous air, hazy skies amid Canadian wildfires
