Michiganders have recently battled extreme heat. Now a statewide Air Quality Alert is in effect through Friday.
In Kalamazoo the PM 2.5 on the Air Quality Index broke into the hazardous level sitting well over 400. That means the particles in the air make it unhealthy to breathe.
Neal Conway is a spokesperson with the city of Kalamazoo. He said Kik pool was closed Thursday and youth programs would be indoors. All other offices and programs remained open.
In a Forecast Discussion, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy says the smoke concentrations are worse than the smoke in 2023 and 2025. It’s due to the close proximity of the fires and the amount and size of fires in that area.
EGLE recommends avoiding strenuous outdoor activities, closing windows overnight and running central air conditioning with MERV-13 or higher rated filters.
They also say to pay attention for symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, dizziness or burning in the nose, throat or eyes.
EGLE's model for smoke prediction goes out 48 hours. “That model is currently showing improvement on Saturday, but it is likely that smoke will linger and recirculate for a while," according to the agency.
The forecast will remain ranging from very unhealthy to hazardous.
