Full Notification

Wildfire smoke from nothern Minnesota and western Ontario has moved into our region overnight. Air Quality Index (AQI) values this morning are:

159 (Unhealthy) in Marquette
193 (Unhealthy) at Bad River's site in Odanah
239 (Very Unhealthy) at Forest County Potawatomi's site in Crandon
681 (Hazardous) in Grand Portage Band's site in Grand Portage
784 (Hazardous) in Duluth

The forecast continues to call for this wildfire smoke to hang around today (Wed) and tomorrow (Thu) and Friday. Conditions may improve a bit Friday evening, but the forecast is less certain that far out.

The Air Quality Alerts currently in place will be reviewed Thursday morning by the state agencies in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The Alerts may be extended or be issued as needed. 

Limit time spend outside, if possible. Avoid heavy exertion, take frequent breaks, and stay hydrated (your body struggles to flush smoke from your body if you're dehydrated). 

Real-time Air Quality Index values can be viewed at (https://airquality.wi.gov/) or the Wisconsin AQM app. Click "PM2.5" on the website to see only wildfire smoke levels, other measured pollutants are not expected to be a problem at this time.

There's a lot of information on how to make your own box fan filter here: 
https://cleanaircrew.org/box-fan-filters/

There is rain forecast for the wildfires later on Thursday and Friday, but the fires have rapidly expanded in the last few days with drought conditions, temperatures over 100, and gusty winds. Any rain will be welcome, but while rain may help a little, we expect these fires will continue to burn for days and weeks to come. The amount of smoke we receive will also depend on wind direction and larger weather patterns on any given day. 

Please check out the attached fliers and/or go to this website for more links and information:  https://www.badriver-nsn.gov/wildfire-smoke/