Air quality alert to remain in effect for Michigan through Saturday; Detroit to provide updates
Detroit again had the worst air quality in the world on Friday morning, as wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota continues to drift over the region.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says an air quality alert will remain in effect for all of Michigan into Saturday, continuing an alert status that began on Wednesday. Air quality conditions will range on Friday from very unhealthy to southern areas of the state to hazardous in the north, EGLE said, then diminish slightly unhealthy for sensitive groups in the south to very unhealthy in the north.
The City of Detroit will host a news conference at 10 a.m. Friday at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters as Mayor Mary Sheffield and other officials discuss employee safety steps and support for area residents. CBS Detroit will broadcast the press conference on air and online.
The smoke plume from hundreds of wildfires in Canada and Minnesota began crossing into Northern Michigan during the day on Wednesday. First responders and dispatchers reported getting a spike in 911 phone calls from concerned residents over the conditions. By midnight Wednesday, the MiAir database showed significantly deteriorating air quality in Southeast Michigan.
Metro Detroit had the worst air quality in the world early Thursday, resulting in numerous disruptions to community events and programs, including outdoor concerns. The Friday morning reports from IQAir showed an Air Quality Index for Detroit at 428, ahead of Chicago, which has also been in the path of the wildfire smoke plumes. AQI readings of over 300 are considered hazardous.
The CBS News Detroit weather team has declared Friday to be a NEXT Weather Alert Day, stepping up forecasts and announcements as needed.
Here's what to know for Friday:
When will the smoke clear out?
Waves of plumes are still expected to come through Southeast Michigan into Friday, and there won't be a noticeable improvement in conditions until Friday night.
A warm front pushing through Friday night into Saturday will help push the smoke out of the region. But that change in the weather also brings a potential for severe thunderstorms.
After the storms come through, skies will clear with noticeably lower humidity, with a pleasant and milder end to the weekend on Sunday.
Closings and cancellations
Summer school, day camp and splash pad schedules are among those canceled or rescheduled again on Friday because of the air quality.
Burn bans
At least two Southeast Michigan communities – Monroe Township and Dundee Township in Monroe County – are suspending permits for outside burning, such as yard waste or campfires.
Face mask distributions
EGLE recommends that those who go outside for even short periods of time should wear an N95 or P100 respirator face mask marked with "NIOSH" to help prevent breathing in the pollution.
The Detroit Health Department, Grosse Pointe Woods Department of Public Safety, the Wayne Police Department and other local agencies have been distributing face masks to area residents to help limit pollution that is breathed in and follow recommendations from environmental and health officials.
