Hazy again today. When will this smoke clear out of Michigan?
LANSING — Smoke and haze from Canadian wildfires was supposed to be gone days ago, right?
Lansing-area residents — well, people in Michigan in general — may be excused if they are a little tired of living in what appears to be a fog bank this past week. And it hasn't helped that in between smelling like a campfire, the haze has often offered the aroma of burning plastics.
For the first time in a week, though, the air quality rating in the Lansing area has fallen below the "Unhealthy for Sensitive People level. As of 8 a.m. today, the mid-Michigan Air Quality Index was 77 — in the Moderate range.
While now better than Detroit (86) and Ann Arbor (104), the air quality in Lansing still lags behind Flint (60) and Kalamazoo (58).
The AirNow online map shows the worst haze from Canadian wildfires now is centered over the New York and New England areas.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy extended its Air Quality Alert Statewide through Saturday, the National Weather Service Grand Rapids office said in a Friday tweet. EGLE said the advisory includes both fine particulate matter and ozone, which can cause breathing issues.
"This is due to the smoke that continues over the area and ozone. People with sensitive respiratory issues should limit their time outside," the NWS said.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has set up a hotline at 800-648-6942 for health-related questions related to air quality issues. It is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
Here’s how you can track conditions
The Toronto Star reported this past week that the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre said 76,129 square kilometers of forest and other land has burned since Jan. 1. That exceeds the previous record set in 1989 of 75,596 square kilometers, according to the National Forestry Database.
Currently there are 490 fires burning across the country, with 255 of them considered to be out of control.
Check current conditions with these air quality maps:
And in Michigan and elsewhere here:
How the air rating system works
State meteorologists forecast pollutants, including ground-level ozone and fine particulate and declare an “Action Day” when air quality levels are expected to reach or exceed various health levels.Here are the levels the state’s tracks, using a numerical scale:
Good, with a rate of 0 to 50; Moderate, with a rate of 51-100; Unhealth for Sensitive People, 101-150; Unhealthy, 151-200;
The MEGLE said the condition of Michigan’s air quality falls in the good and moderate categories most of the time; Very Unhealthy, 201-300; and Hazardous, 301-500.
Unhealthy for sensitive groups (101-150): Sensitive groups include kids; people with asthma or heart disease and people who work or exercise strenuously outdoors.
Unhealthy (151-200): When the air is deemed unhealthy for all residents, regarding less of any health conditions.
Very unhealthy (201-300): At this level, the state recommends people voluntarily reduce air emissions and reduce exertion when working or exercising outdoors.
Michigan residents can sign up for alerts at www.michigan.gov/air and select the EnviroFlash button at the bottom of the page and follow directions to sign up.
Check the latest on wildfires and smoke with this map
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Canadian smoke still over Michigan, but moving east now
