Latest news with #airnow.gov
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Air Quality Alerts issued as smoke returns
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Wildfires continue to burn across Canada, with 213 active fires ongoing, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Inc. Of those, only 75, as of June 3, are under control. The fires have burned around 2.0 million hectares or around 7,722 mi2. And smoke from these wildfires continues to impact the United States, including right here in Siouxland. We had a brief reprieve from the smoky skies and reduced air qualities as we began the week Monday. However, behind the passage of a cold front the smoke is returning as winds shift back to the north/northwest. Expect intermittent thick smoke across Siouxland. Milky skies and hazy sunshine are likely, along with degradations to air quality at times over the next 24-48 hours. Air Quality Alerts are in effect from now through midnight Wednesday for: Antelope, Burt, Cedar, Cuming, Dakota, Knox, Pierce, Stanton, Thurston, and Wayne counties in NE Nebraska. Additional Air Quality Alerts will be in effect through 6 AM Wednesday morning for all of NW Iowa. Generally expecting air quality indices to fall between the moderate to unhealthy range. Air qualities within this range have the most impact on those in more sensitive groups, including: People with heart disease/other cardiac issues People with lung issues (.) Older Adults ( Children/Teenagers (their lungs are still developing, and they breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults) Pregnant women/people Outdoor workers Those within these more sensitive groups should limit the intensity and duration of outdoor activities and watch for the following: Coughing and/or wheezing Shortness of breath Chest pain/tightness Unusual fatigue Heart Palpitations Symptoms of an asthma attack Symptoms of a heart attack Those with asthma should follow their action plan and keep their relief medicine/inhalers handy. Degradations in air quality can affect everyone though. You may notice mild symptoms such as coughing, throat irritation, and/or sinus irritation. A few steps you can take to minimize the impact of air quality are to limit the intensity and duration of outdoor activities or even reschedule outdoor activities, if needed. For the latest updates on air quality in your area, visit You can find other air quality-related resources there as well. For the latest weather any time in Siouxland, visit the . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
This Wisconsin city has some of the worst air quality in country, a new report says
Sheboygan ranked among the worst metro areas in the country for ozone-polluted air, according to a new report by the American Lung Association. Sheyboygan ranked 24th worst out of 228 cities for ozone pollution, followed closely by Milwaukee, ranked 26th. The organization's annual report compared metro areas nationwide using air quality data collected between 2021 and 2023. Overall, the report found 46% of Americans, or more than 156 million people, live in areas with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. Like previous years, people of color were disproportionately more likely to be exposed to unhealthy air or have chronic illnesses, like asthma or heart disease, that make them more vulnerable to poor air quality. Though people of color make up about 41% of the U.S. population, they accounted for more than 50% of people living in counties that the American Lung Association awarded "failing" grades for air quality. Of Wisconsin's 72 counties, 26 reported data on ozone pollution. These five had the greatest average number of high ozone days, according to the American Lung Association: Kenosha County (weighted average of 13 high ozone days per year) Sheboygan County (average of 9.7 high ozone days) Racine County (average of 9.5 high ozone days) Ozaukee County (average of 9.3 high ozone days) Milwaukee County (average of 8.7 high ozone days) Of the 18 Wisconsin counties that reported particle pollution data, these five had the greatest number of high particle pollution days: Eau Claire (weighted average of 5.8 high pollution days per year) Taylor (average of 5.2 high pollution days) Brown (average of 4.8 high pollution days) Outagamie (average of 4.8 high pollution days) Forest (average of 4.7 high pollution days) To keep tabs on Wisconsin air quality, you can sign up for DNR air quality advisories and check air quality forecasts at The map below also tracks air quality across Wisconsin: This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Sheboygan, Wisconsin has some of the worst air quality in US, ALA says
Asharq Al-Awsat
11-03-2025
- Science
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Only Seven Countries Met WHO Air Quality Standards in 2024, Data Shows
Only seven countries met World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards last year, data showed on Tuesday, as researchers warned that the war on smog would only get harder after the United States shut down its global monitoring efforts. Chad and Bangladesh were the world's most polluted countries in 2024, with average smog levels more than 15 times higher than WHO guidelines, according to figures compiled by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir. Only Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Estonia and Iceland made the grade, IQAir said. Significant data gaps, especially in Asia and Africa, cloud the worldwide picture, and many developing countries have relied on air quality sensors mounted on US embassy and consulate buildings to track their smog levels. However, the State Department has recently ended the scheme, citing budget constraints, with more than 17 years of data removed last week from the US government's official air quality monitoring site, including readings collected in Chad. "Most countries have a few other data sources, but it's going to impact Africa significantly, because oftentimes these are the only sources of publicly available real-time air quality monitoring data," said Christi Chester-Schroeder, IQAir's air quality science manager. Data concerns meant Chad was excluded from IQAir's 2023 list, but it was also ranked the most polluted country in 2022, plagued by Sahara dust as well as uncontrolled crop burning. Average concentrations of small, hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 hit 91.8 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/cu m) last year in the country, slightly higher than 2022. The WHO recommends levels of no more than 5 mg/cu m, a standard met by only 17% of cities last year. India, fifth in the smog rankings behind Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, saw average PM2.5 fall 7% on the year to 50.6 mg/cu m. But it accounted for 12 of the top 20 most polluted cities, with Byrnihat, in a heavily industrialized part of the country's northeast, in first place, registering an average PM2.5 level of 128 mg/cu m. Climate change is playing an increasing role in driving up pollution, Chester-Schroeder warned, with higher temperatures causing fiercer and lengthier forest fires that swept through parts of South East Asia and South America. Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Clean Air Program at the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute (EPIC), said at least 34 countries will lose access to reliable pollution data after the US program was closed. The State Department scheme improved air quality in the cities where the monitors were placed, boosting life expectancy and even reducing hazard allowances for US diplomats, meaning that it paid for itself, Hasenkopf said. "(It) is a giant blow to air quality efforts worldwide," she said.
Arab News
11-03-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Pakistan, India among countries suffering from world's most polluted air— report
SINGAPORE: Only seven countries met World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards last year, data showed on Tuesday, as researchers warned that the war on smog would only get harder after the United States shut down its global monitoring efforts. Chad and Bangladesh were the world's most polluted countries in 2024, with average smog levels more than 15 times higher than WHO guidelines, according to figures compiled by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir. Only Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Estonia and Iceland made the grade, IQAir said. Significant data gaps, especially in Asia and Africa, cloud the worldwide picture, and many developing countries have relied on air quality sensors mounted on US embassy and consulate buildings to track their smog levels. However, the State Department has recently ended the scheme, citing budget constraints, with more than 17 years of data removed last week from the US government's official air quality monitoring site, including readings collected in Chad. 'Most countries have a few other data sources, but it's going to impact Africa significantly, because oftentimes these are the only sources of publicly available real-time air quality monitoring data,' said Christi Chester-Schroeder, IQAir's air quality science manager. Data concerns meant Chad was excluded from IQAir's 2023 list, but it was also ranked the most polluted country in 2022, plagued by Sahara dust as well as uncontrolled crop burning. Average concentrations of small, hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 hit 91.8 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/cu m) last year in the country, slightly higher than 2022. The WHO recommends levels of no more than 5 mg/cu m, a standard met by only 17 percent of cities last year. India, fifth in the smog rankings behind Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, saw average PM2.5 fall 7 percent on the year to 50.6 mg/cu m. But it accounted for 12 of the top 20 most polluted cities, with Byrnihat, in a heavily industrialized part of the country's northeast, in first place, registering an average PM2.5 level of 128 mg/cu m. Climate change is playing an increasing role in driving up pollution, Chester-Schroeder warned, with higher temperatures causing fiercer and lengthier forest fires that swept through parts of South East Asia and South America. Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Clean Air Program at the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute (EPIC), said at least 34 countries will lose access to reliable pollution data after the US program was closed. The State Department scheme improved air quality in the cities where the monitors were placed, boosting life expectancy and even reducing hazard allowances for US diplomats, meaning that it paid for itself, Hasenkopf said. '(It) is a giant blow to air quality efforts worldwide,' she said
