Michigan air quality: What to expect for weekend, Fourth of July
The haze over Detroit on June 29, 2023
DETROIT (FOX 2) - As a blanket of haze remains over Michigan from the Canadian wildfires the big question is whether the poor air quality will put a damper on Fourth of July outdoor plans.
The air quality this week has led to advisories to limit time outside or stay inside if you have heart or respiratory conditions.
On Thursday afternoon, the Air Quality Alert was extended to Friday.
The Air Quality Index is expected to improve Friday, but will still remain around the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" to "Unhealthy" levels. It's previously been some of the worst-recorded air quality in the world this week.
According to IQAir, Detroit's AQI Friday morning is 105, which rates as unhealthy for sensitive groups. The main pollutant is PM2.5, or particulate matter, whose concentration is at least 7 times what the World Health Organization says is a safe air quality guideline.
The same website was predicting the AQI number to drop to 70 on Saturday and 57 on Sunday - both moderate ratings.
Adding to the hazards are elevated levels of ozone as well. See more details here.
Read: What the AQI colors mean
Heading into the weekend, the rain will help flush the atmosphere of some of the smoke. Isolated to scattered storms are possible Friday and Saturday afternoons.
Friday is expected to get pretty hot, potentially hitting 90 degrees by the late afternoon. There's also a marginal chance of storms in the evening.
The weekend will see higher storm chances both days with thunderstorms possible after 2 p.m. Saturday and showers likely in th morning on Sunday. Temperatures will also peel off into the 80s and then 70s going into next week.
Next week, there will be significantly less smoke over Michigan with improved air quality, as long as the wind does not shift. This means that as of now, outdoor Fourth of July celebrations are on.
During the Air Quality Alerts, health officials have advised against burning, such as bonfires, until the air improves. This isn't expected to impact celebrations being held for Independence Day.