Track air quality in Michigan with maps, forecasts

Nour Rahal, Detroit Free Press
Updated ·2 min read
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While an air-quality alert remains in effect until noon on Friday in southeast Michigan, there are multiple tools available to stay up to date on the air quality near you.

Higher levels of fine particles in the air, caused by wildfire smoke from Quebec and Ontario, Canada, continue to affect the air quality in certain areas in Michigan.

In a normal afternoon day in Detroit, the skyline is more clear from Belle Isle seen on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 but with the haze from the wildfire smoke in Canada that has taken over New York City and other areas of the country, it has come to Metro Detroit.
In a normal afternoon day in Detroit, the skyline is more clear from Belle Isle seen on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 but with the haze from the wildfire smoke in Canada that has taken over New York City and other areas of the country, it has come to Metro Detroit.

Affected counties include but are not limited to: Wayne, Monroe, Macomb, Oakland, Livingston, St. Clair, Washtenaw, Jackson, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Saginaw, Tuscola, Huron, Sanilac, Lapeer and Genesee, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. The smoke plumes have been coming in waves.

Air Quality Index information, maps and forecasts are available on AirNow and Michigan's EGLE. AirNow also has a mobile app that automatically displays the current Air Quality Index for your area while allowing you to check other areas as well.

More: Hazardous air quality across Michigan as wildfire smoke from Canada continues to spread

More: Detroit's air quality among the world's worst Wednesday due to Canadian wildfire smoke

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. As of 1 p.m., Detroit's air quality is at 117 PM2.5 (fine particulate matter), while Ann Arbor is at 151 PM2.5.

"It is recommended that active children and adults, and people with respiratory diseases such as asthma, limit prolonged outdoor exertion," according to the National Weather Service.

Contact Nour Rahal: nrahal@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Track air quality in Michigan with AirNow app, EGLE