NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WZMQ) – The past six to seven weeks The Upper Peninsula has been in a weather pattern that’s created some air quality issues. This morning, many people noticed the haziness and smokey smell lingering in the air.
Matt Zika, Meteorologist with The National Weather Service says with the winds blowing smoke from forest fires in northern Quebec, the weeks rain pushed that smoke down into the surface air that we breathe.
Lower air quality has been more common than in past years, Zika pointed out that the recent weather is also causing the temporary extra drop in air quality we’re seeing right now. Normally, the wind blows the smoke and debris into the upper atmosphere, but this weekends rain pushed that smoke in the upper atmosphere down into the surface air we breathe causing more air quality issues and haziness.
“So far this summer I think this is the second or third day where we’ve had air quality that’s been this poor.” Zika says, “We’ve just been stuck in a pattern that’s continuing to push that smoke and those by-products from the burning of those fires, so, if folks think it’s unusual, it is.”
Zika says those with more severe allergies or with asthma should be cautious until the air quality improves later in the week…
