Canadian Wildfire Smoke Reappears in Michigan: Stay Safe

If you wake up in Michigan and notice the air a bit smoky, then you can be sure that it is so. A cold front has come through, bringing with it a cloud of wildfire smoke from Canada, similarly to what we had last summer during the time of the big wildfires. But don’t worry; this time the fire is expected to be short-lived.

A dust particle alert has been given by the Air Quality Division of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy for the sensitive ones. Sensitives are those with heart or lung conditions, pregnant women, kids, people working outdoors, and over 60 seniors. If you belong to one of these groups, you’d better stay indoors, keep the windows closed, and give up your evening jog or any intense outdoor activity.

Why? Because the smoke is a carrier of the so-called particulate matter tiny fragments of soot and debris that can penetrate deep into your lungs, irritate, and even worsen the already existing health problem. And, even if you are healthy in general, it is still better to have some rest while such smoky air continues. The more you breathe heavily (during sports), the more of these particles you are exposed to and inhale.

Good news – this is not going to last long. Stephanie Hengesbach, an air pollution specialist with Michigan’s Environmental Protection Agency, thinks that the smoke will have moved by early Saturday morning. “Our air quality advisory is in fact expiring by 6 a.m. on Saturday,” she informs. “We are counting on a good change after the plume is removed.”

This story is not even close in magnitude to what was going on in the summer of 2023, when a huge cloud of smoke from the numerous fires in Canada covered large areas of Michigan and other U.S. states for several days, a situation that posed a danger to almost everyone and required them to be safe regardless of their health. At that time, the air turned out to be so polluted that everyone was advised to stay indoors and switch their A/Cs to recirculate mode to avoid outdoor smoky air.

Just for the time being, follow only a few safety measures, mostly if you are a part of the high-risk group. The situation regarding the pollution of the air and the sky will undoubtedly change in favor of the better soon.