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Wildfire smoke from Minnesota, Canada to blanket Wisconsin this week
Madeline Heim
Wildfire smoke from Minnesota and Canada will blanket Wisconsin this week, with air quality potentially reaching "very unhealthy" levels, particularly in the northern part of the state.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued an advisory July 14 saying the smoke is expected to enter northern Wisconsin on Tuesday evening and continue pushing south through July 16, at which point it could be covering the entire state.
The smoke is traveling from fires in Ontario and in northern Minnesota, where the U.S. Forest Service has closed the popular Boundary Waters Canoe Area and is evacuating campers. The northern Minnesota fires are closer than the Canadian ones that have sent smoke down in years past, which means Wisconsin will experience the brunt of the impact, said Craig Czarnecki, outreach coordinator for the DNR's Air Management program.
"It's a pretty serious event that we're probably going to see here," Czarnecki said.
The smoke advisory is set to end in Wisconsin on July 16 at noon but "will likely be extended for at least some portion of the state" beyond that time, according to the DNR. How long and where exactly that smoke lingers is yet to be determined.
It comes alongside another heat wave in which "feels like" temperatures could surpass 100 degrees across huge swaths of the state. A map of sites where people can cool off in Milwaukee can be found on the city's website at city.milwaukee.gov/Health/Cooling-Sites.
The heat, wind and dry weather have allowed the fires burning in northern Minnesota to expand rapidly, scorching thousands of acres and releasing a lot of smoke, Czarnecki said.
The primary air pollutant that wildfire smoke carries is fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, which is linked to lung and heart problems. Across the state, levels could range from "unhealthy for sensitive groups" to "very unhealthy" this week.
When the air quality index is at very unhealthy levels, everyone should limit outdoor physical activity and people with heart or lung issues should avoid all physical activity outdoors. A properly fitting N95 mask can reduce PM2.5 inhalation.
If you're healthy but start to cough or experience shortness of breath, it's time to move indoors, Czarnecki said.
In Canada, wildfires haven't been as widespread or intense this year, Czarnecki said. Whether Wisconsin sees smoke also depends on the weather. Descending air from a high-pressure system can push smoke closer to the ground, he said, which is when the state sees more significant smoke impacts.
This story has been updated to include new information.
Madeline Heim covers health and the environment for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at 920-996-7266 or mheim@usatodayco.com.
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