Michiganders can expect to see a break from the dense smoke from the wildfires in Ontario this evening and Saturday morning as strong winds blow southwest through the state.
According to the National Weather Service, this week’s air quality is the worst Michigan has seen in nearly two decades, with the air quality index registering as hazardous across the state.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy extended its statewide air quality alert through Saturday, with air quality ranging from very unhealthy in the Upper Peninsula to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups in the Lower Peninsula.
Even during the brief hiatus from the smoke, the air quality will likely still be considered unhealthy for sensitive individuals, such as those with asthma or other respiratory conditions.
Looking ahead, meteorologists with the NWS office in Grand Rapids warn that the smoke will likely return over the weekend.
Meteorologist Nathan Jeruzal told WKAR News that the NWS is watching a storm system that could reach Michigan by late morning Saturday.
“That’s going to be bringing in winds from the northwest, and that’s actually where the fires are from,” he said. “The good thing is, right now it looks like the smoke won’t be necessarily as dense or as polluted when we see that come in.”
According to the EGLE, “When the associated cold front passes through later Saturday, we will be back into northwest winds and more smoke. Those fires have not diminished, so we expect more bad Air Quality beginning late Saturday and into Sunday.”
Jeruzal said that people should still stay indoors through the weekend, wear an N95 mask when they need to go outside and, if travelling by car, recirculate the air conditioning rather than pull air from outside the vehicle.
“When you put all these different particulates in the air, it makes it very hard for people to breathe, especially some of those sensitive groups,” he said.
One Lansing resident, Roger Hackbarth, told WKAR News his family in Wisconsin was also struggling with the dense smoke.
“We just need to pray for our nation, and that we take better care of our resources,” Hackbarth said. “And that's not just the U.S., but in the world around us, we're affected.”
