Canadian wildfire smoke blankets Metro Detroit as Air Quality Alert continues

Canadian wildfire smoke rolls into downtown Detroit overnight

Wildfire smoke from Canada has caused an Air Quality Alert for Michigan and this timelapse from overnight shows the visual impact.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - You probably smell it, you've seen it. It is our top store this morning. If you've even looked outside, you probably noticed the smoke and haze in the air.

Big picture view:

An Air Quality Alert is in effect for our area as the Canadian wildfires continue - as Detroit has among the worst breathing conditions in all of the world.

The Air Quality Index Rating for Detroit is 500, which is 200 points worse than the 301 mark that categorizes the breathing levels as "hazardous" which recommends everyone stay indoors as much as possible.

FOX 2's Robin Murdoch was down by the Ambassador Bridge Thursday morning and although it looks very foggy, it is actually smoke.

Those wildfires are impacting several states which is why health officials are urging people to avoid outdoor activities today, especially if you fall into one of those sensitive groups like the young, the elderly, those with asthma or other lung issues, as well as heart disease.

Air Quality Alert continues from Canadian wildfires smoke

The haze is thick from smoke and breathing for everyone has gotten difficult outdoors.

You also want to keep your windows as well your doors shut until the smoke does move out of the area and the air quality does improve. It's also a good idea. If you do have an air purifier to use one right now.

FOX 2 spoke to Dr. John Frith of the Allergy and Asthma Institute of Southeast Michigan.

"If you do need to go out, having a mask potentially, the N95, the KNN95 are some alternatives to that just to minimize how much of that irritant you're bringing in," he said. "Because that's just trying to filter that out so at least you can go do what you need to do. So taking a little bit of break, less strenuous activity, things like that can also just minimize how that burden you're putting on the airways can be helpful."

Air quality from wildfires continue Thursday

Alan Longstreet has the forecast.

Other safety guidelines:

It is recommended that, when possible, you avoid strenuous outdoor activities, especially those with heart disease and respiratory conditions like asthma.

Watch for symptoms including wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, dizziness, or burning in nose, throat, and
eyes.

You can help reduce air pollution by limiting activities, such as outdoor burning and use of residential wood burning devices.

Tips for households: Keep windows closed overnight to prevent smoke from getting indoors and, if possible, run central air conditioning with MERV-13 or higher rated filters.