4Warn Weather – Now that we are out of the 4th of July Holiday, as you’re waking up on Friday Morning, we do have an air quality situation being reported across the region.
Air Quality levels into the hazardous to very hazardous range are being reported all across Metro Detroit. Some of the worst levels of air quality (being reported in the dark purple) are across Northern Wayne, Southern Oakland Counties, also from Northeastern Wayne County and into Southern Macomb County where air quality values of 100-200 or higher are being reported.
The Michigan Department of the Environment has not issued and Air Quality Alert for the region for Friday, July 5th, 2024. Outside of Southeastern Michigan, air quality levels are much lower, down into the moderate range.
With a very warm and humid air mass overnight Thursday night and into Friday Morning, it is already a little hazy, but once you factor in the smoke from the fireworks that were set off all across the area on Thursday night, that smoke has stuck around and caused a situation where poor air quality is being detected.
Keeping an eye on the #AirQuality across the region this morning. Parts of Wayne & Oakland Counties are in the hazardous to very hazardous range, with others in the light purple in the hazardous range. Might be due to fireworks smoke from the #4thofJuly. #MIWX @Local4News pic.twitter.com/LsDogEjNNn
— Bryan Schuerman, M.A., M.Ed. (@BSchuermanWX) July 5, 2024
How Does Air Quality Work?
Think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an AQI value of 50 or below represents good air quality, while an AQI value over 300 represents hazardous air quality.
For each pollutant an AQI value of 100 generally corresponds to an ambient air concentration that equals the level of the short-term national ambient air quality standard for protection of public health. AQI values at or below 100 are generally thought of as satisfactory. When AQI values are above 100, air quality is unhealthy: at first for certain sensitive groups of people, then for everyone as AQI values get higher.
The AQI is divided into six categories. Each category corresponds to a different level of health concern. Each category also has a specific color. The color makes it easy for people to quickly determine whether air quality is reaching unhealthy levels in their communities.
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