The Reason Air Quality in Wisconsin is Horrible: What About Iowa and Illinois?

If you live in Wisconsin, particularly northern Wisconsin, you might have noticed a haze in the air as of late. A strange, smoky haze that seems to be lingering around everything, whether it's the trees, the buildings, and various homes. The Midwest seems to catch a plethora of different weather conditions, and haze, while uncommon, isn't unheard of.

The haziness is so pervasive that the Wisconsin Department of National Resources (DNR) has issued an air quality alert for various cities and towns across the state. The advisory was issued on June 3rd. Even Google's air quality map shows a particularly concerning level of smoke contamination in the air across the state, the likes of which is starting to encroach on Iowa.

What is Causing the Poor Air Quality?:

Per the National Weather Service (NWS), air quality in Wisconsin and even Iowa is worsening due to wildfire smoke making its way south from Canada. It's bad enough in some northern enclaves in Wisconsin that people can actually smell the smoke.

More specifically, the smoke is coming from wildfires currently raging in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The combination of rising heat, winds, and dry air has compounded the blaze, and thousands have been evacuated.

A southbound cold front that brought rain to Wisconsin and Iowa earlier this week is to blame for the smoke travelling down to our neck of the woods. While the last couple days have been hazy out here in Iowa, it's not at the level of severity it seems to be in Wisconsin. Yet.

How Long Will The Poor Air Quality Last?:

Presently, the air quality advisory was upgraded to cover eastern and southeastern parts of Wisconsin. Previously, the advisory was confined to northern, central, and northeast Wisconsin.

The NWS is recommending that sensitive groups, including those with asthma or heart disease, reschedule their outdoor activities or move them inside.

Read more about the ongoing poor air quality in Wisconsin on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's website.