Great Lakes, Midwest, and Northern Plains Feel Effects of Poor Air Quality

As of Friday, Canadian wildfires continue to rage in Manitoba and Saskatchewan causing air quality issues in the Northern Plains, Midwest, Ohio Valley and around the Great Lakes. Smoke and haze will be the main reason for the poor Air Quality. 

Friday 

The National Weather Service has issued air quality alerts for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, eastern Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and northern Indiana. Moderate to Unhealthy levels of Air Quality are expected today. The Air Quality Index ranges from 0-500 and has a 1 to 6 scale. Today will feature Moderate, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, and Unhealthy that range from 50-200 air quality. Moderate is 2 on a scale out of 6 (50-100), Unhealthy for Sensitive groups is 3 (100-150), whereas Unhealthy is 4 (150-200). 

Saturday 

However, Saturday there will be solid improvements to the air quality and will be less of an issue for most of the north-central U.S. Large improvements will be made to states like Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, and much of Wisconsin. The air quality will likely drop down to Moderate (50-100) as the day goes on. Lesser improvements can be expected for Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The Air Quality will be no higher than Unhealthy for Sensitive groups (100-150). 

Short-term exposure of poor air quality has been known to cause irritation of the nose, eyes, and throat, as well as coughing and shortness of breath. Understanding health issues you may have is important and limiting exposure of poor air quality should be of the utmost priority. 

Air quality forecasts can change quickly so be sure to check out the WeatherBug app for live updates of the Air Quality Index at your location.