Detroit has the most polluted air in the world among major cities on Friday morning as smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota lingers, according to Swiss air quality technology company IQAir.
The city had an air quality index, or AQI, of 435 as of 10:45 a.m. Friday, IQAir said. Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York were second, third and fourth on the company’s ranking of the most polluted global major cities.
Detroit had an air quality index, or AQI, of 724 at one point on Thursday, earning it first place for a good part of the day on IQAir’s ranking of the most polluted global major cities.
IQAir makes air quality monitoring and air cleaning products. The index is a measure of PM2.5 or particulate matter, and any index reading above 300 makes the air “hazardous,” according to the company, which means unhealthy for everyone.
AirNow reports the air in most of Michigan is hazardous, and it’s very unhealthy for the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula and some areas like Flint and Livonia.
AirNow is a partnership of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. National Park Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and local air quality agencies.
Relief on the way?
The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, or SEMCOG, said it has extended an Air Quality Alert to Saturday. The move marks the fifth time this season the group, a regional planning partnership of municipal governments, has issued the alert.
SEMCOG said it forecasts air in the region to be “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” on Saturday.
“(A) passing warm front will put the Lower Peninsula in southwest winds late Friday and early Saturday. That change will allow some improvements, but we will still likely have recirculated smoke from Indiana and Illinois,” Jim Haywood, EGLE’s Senior Meteorologist, said in a statement issued by SEMCOG. “That thinning of smoke could lead to elevated spikes in ozone levels if enough sun gets through. This episode is not over, however. 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.”
National Weather Service officials said they expect an improvement in smoke concentration over Southeast Michigan to begin Friday night as wind shifts to the southwest after a warm front moves through the region.
“Storms and stronger winds from the southwest will start to clear out smoke late Friday, and most locations should see significantly improved air quality by Saturday,” officials with the U.S. Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program said.
EGLE agrees.
“Our best model for smoke only predicts out to 48 hours,” the agency said Thursday. “That model is currently showing improvements on Saturday, but it is likely that smoke will linger and recirculate for a while. The National Weather Service mentions the possibility of rain on Saturday, which would help. The Friday forecast will shed more light on that.”
Until the air quality improves, experts recommend Michigan residents, especially those with heart disease and respiratory conditions such as asthma, avoid strenuous outdoor activities.
In addition, residents should keep windows closed to prevent smoke from entering and run central air conditioning with MERV-13 or higher-rated filters, if possible.
They advise residents to limit certain activities, such as outdoor burning, to reduce air pollution.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
@CharlesERamirez
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit air quality worst in world again as hazardous conditions continue
Reporting by Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
