Smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to leave haze over Metro Detroit

Smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to cloud the skies over Metro Detroit, prompting state and national officials to issue an air quality alert through Thursday.

Late Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service issued an Air Quality Alert for all of Southeast Michigan due to increased fine particulates caused by the wildfire smoke. The agency recommends those who are sensitive to air pollution to limit outdoor activities.

"A northerly wind is bringing in the smoke from the Canadian wildfires and directed it to the eastern United States," said Megan Varcie, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in White Lake Township. "We're kind of in the western fringe.

"In the New York and New England area, they have quite a bit thicker smoke than what we're seeing here."

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy also issued an air quality advisory Wednesday because of fine particulate matter in southern Michigan's air.

The air quality index in Detroit and Ann Arbor reached above 170 midday Wednesday, which means it was unhealthy for all people. Air quality monitors in Benton Harbor, Flint, Kalamazoo and Lansing showed air quality indexes above 120; the air in those cities was unhealthy for sensitive groups of people including children and people with breathing issues.

Some hourly readings could get even worse, reaching "very unhealthy" levels, EGLE air quality forecasters warned Wednesday. They predicted north winds will continue to push wildfire smoke into the area for the coming days.

Air readings of 101-150 are considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, while the unhealth reading is 151-200. "Very unhealthy" readings range from 201-300.

EGLE forecasters issued an advisory because of fine particulate matter for Wednesday and Thursday in the following counties: Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Wayne, Genesee, Lapeer, Shiawassee, Hillsdale, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Washtenaw, Huron, Sanilac, Tuscola, Bay, Saginaw, Midland, Arenac, Ingham, Clinton, Gratiot, Eaton, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph.

The smoke has also prompted officials there to warn people in vulnerable populations to stay inside.

"I have been tracking this and much of Michigan has been experiencing air quality levels that are considered unhealthy," said Stuart Batterman, a University of Michigan professor of environmental health and global public health at the School of Public Health, in a statement. "The most recent readings in Michigan are at levels that came as a big surprise. The levels increased so the air is unhealthy to breathe."

More patients had been visiting the emergency centers of the Detroit Medical Center and Children's Hospital of Michigan with asthma, allergy and breathing issues because of the recent heat, high pollen counts and lack of rain, but the Canadian wildfires hasn't resulted in an additional uptick, DMC spokeswoman Tammy Battaglia said in a Wednesday statement.

"We hope the cooler weather and rain expected over the weekend will help provide relief for those experiencing problems breathing," Battaglia said.

Doctors at some of Corewell Health's Beaumont hospitals said they are seeing an increase in respiratory issues including infections and asthma exacerbations that may be related to the air quality but it also could be due to other issues like high pollen counts.

At Corewell Health's Beaumont Hospital, Grosse Pointe, Chief of Emergency Dr. Glen Clark said the facility is seeing an increased incidence of asthma exacerbations.

“But not much more than we typically see during allergy season," Clark said.

In Metro Detroit, the haze has been getting a lot of attention in the area because it makes the sunset more vivid and lowers the quality of the air, Varcie said.

The smoke from the Canadian wildfires has lingered over the region since last month. As of Monday, there were nine wildfires of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, according to the province's government.

Meanwhile, the air quality around the cities of Detroit and Ann Arbor for Wednesday has been deemed unhealthy by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

Sara Adar, a UM associate professor and chair of epidemiology, said young children, pregnant women, the elderly and individuals with heart or lung disease should avoid spending too much time outdoors. Among the precautions people can take are shutting windows, using air purifiers or air conditioning, she said in a statement. Those who need to spend time outdoors should use an N95 respirator to help reduce exposure, Adar said.

It could clear up over the Detroit area this weekend, according to the weather service.

"It's hard to say exactly when we'll see the haze move out," Varcie said. "By this weekend, we'll see the upper-level pattern shift so we get more of a north-westerly wind so that smoke won't be directed from the north to south over the Great Lakes. My best guess, based on the wind trends, will be it breaking up towards the weekend."

Wednesday's temperatures across the region are expected to reach highs between 69 degrees and 75 degrees. Things are expected to warm up over the next three days, according to the weather service. Conditions should be dry through Friday but showers late Saturday are possible, it said.

"The northerly airflow typically brings in cooler temperatures and right now we're seeing a continued period of dry weather," Varcie said. "There's a pretty big high-pressure system that's parked over the Northern Plains region and we're on the eastern edge of that."

She said as the weekend approaches, the pattern will break down and low pressure will move in, bringing chances for rain with it.

Extended Detroit forecast

Thursday: Mostly sunny; high 74, low 54.

Friday: Mostly sunny; high 78, low 57.

Saturday: Mostly sunny; high 83, low 61.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy; high 73, low 57.

Monday: Partly sunny; high 73, low 56.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny; high 76.

Source: National Weather Service