DETROIT — Lingering haze from Canadian wildfires will continue to be an issue in southeast Michigan Wednesday, limiting visibility during the morning commute and prompting local health departments to urge vulnerable groups to take certain precautions.
Michigan remains under an air quality alert with elevated levels of particulate matter — a danger for sensitive groups to unhealthy range. Just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, AirNow.gov reported an air quality index of 306 for Detroit, which is in the "hazardous" range, where reduced activity levels and remaining indoors is advised.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy issued a statewide air quality alert Tuesday, advising children, vulnerable adults and warning pet owners to limit time outdoors due to the elevated levels of particulate matter from smoke concentration from Canadian wildfires.
The National Weather Service warned that dense fog from smoke plumes would limit visibility to a quarter mile or less Wednesday morning, urging motorists to slow down and allow extra time for travel.
"These restrictions will persist until around 10 am for much of southeast (Michigan). Motorists are urged to use caution and account for variable driving conditions," the agency said on Twitter.
Detroit's air quality was ranked the world's worst Tuesday because of the lingering haze, according to one measure. IQAir's Air Quality Index initially ranked Chicago first with an air quality index in the 170s, securing a spot in the unhealthy category of 151-200.
But late Tuesday, Detroit surpassed it at 203. Chengdu, China and Delhi, India placed third and fourth, according to the website late Tuesday. Toronto, Canada was fifth.
IQAir works to fight air pollution, operates "the world's largest free real-time air quality information platform," according to its website.
On Wednesday, the average air quality is expected to fluctuate between unhealthy for sensitive groups to unhealthy for everyone, with the possibility of the Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula experiencing hours when smoke concentration could cause the air quality index to be very unhealthy or hazardous for everyone, EGLE officials said in a statement.
Air quality index measurements are a color-coded way for residents to identify levels of sustained air pollution in their area.
Haze from the multiple wildfires burning in Canada has been ongoing issue in southeast Michigan in June. In early June, a smoky haze also settled across the region for several days before it finally moved on.
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