DETROIT – After several days of poor air quality caused by wildfire smoke, conditions improved Tuesday for those in the Metro Detroit area.
But hundreds of wildfires continued to burn across Canada at the start of this week, and the smoke is expected to continue affecting states across the U.S.
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Air quality in Southeast Michigan teetered between “unhealthy for sensitive groups” and “unhealthy” at times over the past few days. Wildfire smoke cleared from the area on July 18, allowing the Detroit area’s air quality index to reach the “good” threshold.
Still, more than 900 fires were actively burning across Canada as of Monday, July 17, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. States along the eastern edge of the U.S. were expected to be impacted by wildfire smoke through Tuesday, thanks to northwesterly winds.
Smoke was forecast for northeastern states, and some states in the South.
On July 18, Detroit wasn’t ranked on IQAir’s live list of the 100 countries with the worst air quality, at least not as of 2:45 p.m. Throughout June, Detroit had ranked in the top 10, even top five, several times.
New York City and Washington, D.C. had the worst air quality in the U.S. on Tuesday, coming in at Nos. 12 and 14, respectively, as of 2:45 p.m.
Throughout the summer, air quality alerts have been issued on-and-off for the Southeast Michigan region. These alerts are common during the summer, when pollutants in the air are forecast to mix with high temperatures to create “bad ozone.” However, alerts have also been issued frequently this summer due to smoke drifting from Canada’s wildfires.
The poor air quality is caused by fine particle pollution created by the fires. These particles are small enough to get deep into the lungs and can cause short-term problems like coughing and itchy eyes, and long-term problems affecting the lungs and heart.
When an air quality alert is in place, people are urged to limit their time outdoors -- especially those in sensitive groups, like children, older adults, and people with heart or lung conditions.
Canada’s wildfire season got off to an early start this year, and has continued to affect all Canadian provinces since. Experts say Americans should get used to wildfire smoke in the summer, as climate change is expected to help drive more and more summertime wildfires in the years to come.
---> Read more: Expect a hot, smoky summer in much of America. Here’s why you’d better get used to it