Canadian wildfire smoke is again causing air quality problems in Northwest Wisconsin.
Because more smoke is crossing the border, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued an air quality advisory for the following counties: Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Chippewa, Douglas, Dunn, Iron, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Vilas and Washburn.
The Air Quality Index is expected to reach the unhealthy level for sensitive groups. The advisory is in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 24.
The smoke is supposed to move slowly southeast through the state on Thursday, reaching Rhinelander by midnight. It will continue to linger around much of northern Wisconsin throughout July 25, and could get pushed back further north on July 26 due to southerly winds.
As a precaution, the NWS is advising people in sensitive groups, including children, older adults and people with lung or heart conditions like asthma, to avoid being outside.
See air quality in your area
See the live map below to track air quality in your area. Green indicates good air quality, while yellow is moderate and orange is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
What is an air quality alert?
Air quality alerts are issued when elevated levels of pollutants in the air make it unsafe to be outside.
Particles from the Canadian wildfire smoke can cause minor symptoms, such as mild eye or throat irritation, or more serious heart and lung issues in some cases, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Wildfire smoke particles, which are called PM2.5, are especially dangerous for children, older adults, pregnant people and those with heart or respiratory conditions.
How to check the air quality in Wisconsin
The DNR has interactive air quality maps, which show the AQI and any active alerts or advisories by county. You can view them on the department’s website , or you can also type in your ZIP code into the AirNow.gov website to view air quality in your area.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Air quality alert issued as more Canadian wildfire smoke to impact northern Wisconsin
Reporting by Jack Albright, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
