What to know about Canadian wildfire smoke's effect on Wisconsin, Milwaukee air quality
If the sky looks hazy to you, it's because smoke from Canadian wildfires is hitting Wisconsin.
The wildfire smoke will likely mean poor air quality conditions for much of the state, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Here's what to know, including where the smoke is coming from, how Wisconsin's air quality is expected to be impacted and where to check current air quality conditions:
The wildfire smoke will move into southern Wisconsin May 30, mixing toward the surface in the late morning or early afternoon and lingering through the night, according to a post on X from the National Weather Service-Milwaukee.
The smoke is coming from Canadian wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, according to the Wisconsin DNR.
Rising heat, winds, and dry air sparked blazes in those Canadian provinces.
The fires have burned hundreds of thousands of acres in both provinces and resulted in the evacuation of at least 17,000 people, in what officials are calling "a very serious situation," USA TODAY reported.
A statewide Air Quality Advisory is in effect from 6 a.m. May 30 until 6 a.m. May 31, according to the Wisconsin DNR Facebook post. While the advisory is set to expire at 6 a.m. May 31, smoke impacts may continue, which could extend the advisory for some areas.
"Air quality has some degradations basically across much of the state," said Aidan Kuroski, meteorologist for the NWS-Milwaukee. "Although, it's definitely going to be more impactful further east."
As of 9:30 a.m. May 30, much of the state's air quality was in the "good" to "moderate" range in regards to its Air Quality Index, Kuroski said. But, he expected the air quality to fall to the "moderate" to "unhealthy for sensitive groups" range as the day went on.
While it's possible for the air quality to reach "unhealthy" levels, Kuroski didn't expect that to happen in Wisconsin.
As of 9:30 a.m. May 30, the air quality was still listed as "good," according to the Air Quality Index at airquality.wi.gov/home/map.
It's OK for Wisconsinites to be active outdoors, but they should take more breaks, the DNR said in a May 29 statement. If symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath arise, they should take a break or move indoors.
Wisconsin residents who are a part of sensitive groups — including those with heart disease, lung disease or preexisting respiratory conditions, like asthma — should make outdoor activities shorter and less intense, the DNR and NWS advised.
Here are some ways to protect yourself from wildfire smoke, according to the state's DNR:
The best way to prevent breathing particles from wildfire smoke is to stay indoors.
Close windows and doors.
Run A/C on recirculate with a new high-efficiency filter.
Keep indoor air clean by:
Avoiding activities that increase indoor air pollution, such as vacuuming, burning candles, frying foods or using gas appliances.
Reducing airborne dust by using a damp cloth to dust the home and trap the particles rather than a dry cloth or duster that might make them airborne again.
Use an indoor air purifier.
Cancel outdoor events or move them indoors, especially for children.
Create a DIY temporary air filter.
Current air quality conditions and air quality forecasts can be found at airquality.wi.gov/home/map.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Canadian wildfire smoke hits Wisconsin; air quality alert issued
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Study finds common dietary supplement can flush out toxic forever chemicals from your body
Eating a fibre supplement derived from oats before each meal could flush out toxic forever chemicals from the body, a new study suggests. Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, commonly known as forever chemicals, are widely used to make products like non-stick cookware, cosmetics, stain-resistant fabrics, firefighting foams, food packaging, and waterproof clothing. They persist in the environment for hundreds of years and are increasingly linked to a range of health conditions in humans, including decreased fertility, developmental delays in children, and a higher risk of some cancers. Scientists have been seeking ways to remove them from the body and the environment or degrade them into harmless compounds. 'Despite the growing concerns about the toxicity of PFAS, specific interventions to reduce PFAS levels in the body are limited,' the study notes. 'Current clinical treatments to reduce PFAS body burden are minimal.' Previous studies have shown that beta-glucan fibre molecules found in oats, barley and rye can bind to PFAS in the digestive system. The latest study, published in Environmental Health, finds that consuming a dietary supplement with beta-glucan fibre could significantly reduce PFAS levels in the body. Researchers recruited 72 Canadian men aged 18 to 65 with detectable levels of PFAS in their blood and fed 42 of them a diet supplement of one gram of oat beta-glucan, a type of soluble gel-forming fibre, before each mealtime, when the body produced the most bile. The remaining 30 participants received a placebo made of rice. 'Serum samples were collected from 72 participants in 2019-2020 at baseline and after four weeks of the intervention and were analysed for 17 PFASs,' the study states. After four weeks, researchers found a nearly 10 per cent drop in two of the most dangerous PFAS types in people who took the oat fibre supplement. The two forever chemicals, known as PFOA and PFOS, have been detected in drinking water, food packaging and cosmetics, and they can build up in the body over time. Although the results are modest, scientists say the findings offer a first step to formulating a dietary intervention for removing PFAS from the body. 'Results from this pilot analysis suggest a potentially practical and feasible intervention that may reduce human body burdens for some PFASs,' they say. 'However, studies utilising a larger sample with a broader range of serum concentrations, longer intervention period and clinically relevant fibre intakes are needed to determine the efficacy of using gel-forming dietary fibres to increase PFAS excretion.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hazy outlook: Smoke, dust likely to impact US skies this weekend
Noxious wildfire smoke from Canada will infiltrate the U.S. through the north this weekend, just as African dust clouds approach from the east. They have nothing to do with the Trump tariffs and might not be as ominous as it sounds, but their presence will be noticeable. Meteorologists are especially keeping track of the smoke, emanating from wildfires in Canadian territory from British Columbia to Manitoba, which have the potential to cause health problems in American soil. Smoke has already been detected drifting in through Montana, North Dakota and northern Minnesota, where air quality alerts have been issued. The smoke is expected to spread across the upper Midwest on Friday and Saturday before heading southeast, where cloud cover would minimize its impact. While not on the same scale as the spring and summer of 2023, when 800-plus Canadian wildfires burned more than 40 million acres and blanketed large swaths of the U.S. Midwest and East with a gray haze, the current spate of approximately 150 blazes will have an extended impact across the border as the wind blows southeast. Major population areas in and around Chicago and Milwaukee will likely be in the smoke's path, and possibly Detroit and Indianapolis as well. 'We will see more smoke across parts of the Midwest, even down into portions of the Ohio Valley by Sunday,'' AccuWeather meteorologist Elizabeth Danco said. 'We are expecting some of it to get down into some of the lower levels of the atmosphere, which could cause some reduced air quality and some health hazards, especially for those with respiratory issues.'' How acute those become could be determined by the smoke's elevation in the atmosphere. At lower levels it can not only cause breathing difficulties but also impair driving visibility. When remaining high, the haze actually leads to vibrant sunrises and sunsets. That same phenomenon may be on display with the appearance of the Saharan dust clouds, which are fairly common this time of year. The first of two large ones is primed to arrive this weekend and is aiming for Florida and the Gulf Coast, in addition to the Caribbean, parts of Mexico and most of Central America, AccuWeather said. The second one is even bigger and will likely cover all of Florida and most of the gulf by Thursday morning, according to the outlet. Danco said neither one figures to present a health threat or affect air quality because they will mostly remain at high levels in the atmosphere. Dust clouds can actually have the beneficial effect of inhibiting storm formation or development because they carry such dry air, the opposite of what nourishes weather systems like hurricanes. In addition, the hazy skies they create can be quite vibrant as the sun rises and sets. 'They have a nice orange hue to them,'' Danco said. 'It's really cool to see the sky. There should be some good pictures coming out.'' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hazy outlook: Smoke, dust likely to impact US skies this weekend
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Canada wildfires create heavy smoke that's expected to reach the US: See photos
The heavy smoke from the active wildfires in Canada is expected to hit parts of the United States. Rising heat, winds, and dry air sparked blazes in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, according to the country's Department of Natural Resources. Residents in the United States are expected to face poor air quality from the fires as soon as May 30. The fires have burned hundreds of thousands of acres in both provinces and resulted in the evacuation of at least 17,000 people, in what officials are calling "a very serious situation." Smoke from the blazes is expected to fall heavily over Midwestern states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, and cut across the country to reach the Carolinas by May 31, according to FireSmoke Canada, a team of forecasters at the University of British Columbia. Natural Diasters: Photos show Swiss village buried in debris after glacier collapse Authorities in Minnesota, which began to feel the impact of the blazes on May 29, warned of unhealthy levels of exposure to fine particles from the wildfires. Symptoms include everything from shortness of breath to heart attack and stroke. Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Canada wildfires 2025: See photos of heavy smoke
