Thunder Over Michigan: Air show continuing amid wildfire smoke
Air quality improves little by little; possible storms tonight and Saturday
Alan Longstreet has the latest on the Air Quality Alert for Michigan as Canadian smoke from wildfires blanket the region.
The air quality alert is lingering in metro Detroit this weekend.
It’s been extended through Saturday amid the blanket of wildfire smoke coming in from Canada.
Thunder Over Michigan
Big picture view:
The Thunder Over Michigan air show at Willow Run this weekend is continuing as planned.
Dig deeper:
Organizers say the event is still on, but whether every plane takes to the sky will depend on visibility and whether pilots are cleared to fly under FAA safety requirements.
Even if some flights are delayed or cancelled, officials say fans will still have plenty to do.
The show features drive-up tailgate areas, static aircraft displays, food trucks, vendors, a kids’ zone and opportunities to meet pilots and crews.
The air show is July 17-19 at Willow Run Airport. Gates open at 3 p.m. and close at 10 p.m.
Detroit air quality
Air Quality conditions to slowly improve Friday
The Air Quality Alert remains in place, but it won't be quite as bad by Friday evening.
Big picture view:
As of now, the air quality alert is set to expire Saturday at 12 p.m., but could get extended as a haze could settle back in later again on Saturday.
RELATED: Detroit air quality ranked worst in world again Friday
Timeline:
Conditions should improve dramatically Friday night, with much clearer air settling in by Saturday morning as southerly winds push the smoke plume north and west.
- Friday, at noon, the forecast is for ‘Very Unhealthy’ in the 201 to 300 range.
- At 5 p.m. Friday, the forecast is for 'Unhealthy' in the 150 to 200 range.
- For the rest of the evening, metro Detroit will stay in that range with the number gradually lessening closer to the 150 mark.
Saturday we will wake up with much clearer skies, but the haze is expected to return in the afternoon and evening, though much less severe.
Dig deeper:
Storm chances are in the forecast with isolated chances Friday evening and chances Saturday midday.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from the Michigan Flight Museum and FOX 2 meteorologists.