The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy issued southeast Michigan's sixth air quality advisory of the season on Saturday due to elevated levels of fine particulate matter in the air from Canadian wildfires.
As temperatures near the 90s in Metro Detroit and wildfire smoke plumes from Canada continue to drift toward Michigan, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments urges people to take precautions from breathing in particulate matter (PM 2.5). The smoke plume from Canada is expected to move into the region and settle throughout Saturday to Monday, according to the EGLE.
The air quality advisory is declared statewide for Sunday through at least noon on Monday.
The smoke plume from Canada is shown to reach the western portion of the Upper Peninsula Saturday afternoon and move east and south across the rest of the Upper Peninsula and into Lower Michigan from late Saturday into Sunday, EGLE meteorology specialist Stephanie Hengesbach said in a statement.
"There is a lot going on air quality-wise across the Great Lakes region, and the big story this forecast period is wildfire plumes dropping in from Canada," Hengesbach said. "... As this happens, increased fine particulate concentrations will be seen. Based on current models and trends, we anticipate a range of concentrations across the state, with the highest readings being seen in northern locations. The expected range of fine particulate through Monday is Very Unhealthy to Unhealthy across the Upper Peninsula into northern Lower Michigan; Unhealthy to USG in central areas; and USG to Moderate in southern locations."
EGLE also noted that levels of particle pollution are expected to reach unhealthy for sensitive groups (USG, Orange AQI) on Sunday and remain through noon on Monday in southern parts of Michigan. The agency will provide an updated forecast on Sunday, and additional alerts and advisories may be issued into the week for southeast Michigan.
Individuals considered to be unhealthy for the air quality sensitive threshold include people with lung disease (such as asthma); children and older adults; people who are active outdoors (including outdoor workers); and people with certain genetic variants. Those with diets limited in certain nutrients should also reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion.
The National Weather Service recommends that, when possible, strenuous outdoor activity is avoided, especially for those with heart disease and respiratory diseases like asthma; symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, dizziness or burning in nose, throat and eyes are closely monitored.
Residents should also avoid activities that can contribute to air pollution or ozone formation. These can include outdoor burning and the use of residential wood-burning devices, as well as refueling vehicles or topping off when refueling, using gasoline-powered lawn equipment, and using charcoal lighter fluid.
The weather service also recommends that households keep windows closed overnight to prevent smoke from entering indoors and, if possible, run central air conditioning with MERV-13 or higher-rated filters.
