The state of Michigan is revising how it warns residents about air-quality risks tied to wildfire smoke as the coming season nears, shifting to earlier alerts based on the federal Air Quality Index categories for sensitive groups. The update comes as smoke from Canadian wildfires has previously produced extremely poor air quality in Detroit during summer seasons in 2023 and 2025, according to the AP report.
Michigan’s environmental agency will streamline its alert trigger this year by issuing an air quality alert any time fine particulate matter or ozone levels move into the AQI’s “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category, which is labeled orange on the Air Quality Index. Jim Haywood, a senior meteorologist with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, described the change in terms of the AQI range itself, saying the state will act when conditions reach orange rather than waiting for the red “unhealthy” level.
The state previously used a different threshold. Haywood said EGLE would issue alerts when the AQI was forecast for the “unhealthy” red range, while advisory notices were issued for levels in the orange range. Michigan’s move is aimed at adjusting to how wildfire smoke impacts have emerged over recent seasons and the need to communicate risk more consistently when residents fall into sensitive exposure categories.
Haywood said air-quality forecasting for smoke can improve, but he does not like forecasting smoke conditions for Michigan beyond 24 to 48 hours. He said it can be difficult to predict where smoke traveling over long distances will go, and whether it will affect ground-level air quality in Michigan or remain above it.
For residents seeking air-quality expectations, EGLE recommended checking the Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow webpage for air-quality forecasts for the next 48 hours. The report also pointed to EPA’s EnviroFlash system for local air-quality alerts and to more localized monitoring data from private networks including JustAir and PurpleAir.
The AP report placed the Michigan update in a broader outlook for wildfire conditions across North America. It said Canada Wildfire expects fewer fires north of the border than last year but warned that an El Niño weather pattern could increase fire risk in late summer in western Canada. The report also said drought or dry conditions were present in parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, though storms had improved conditions in some areas, and it tied longer-range U.S. wildfire risk to regional drought and dryness as reflected in federal and weather-agency outlooks.
In the United States, officials predict a severe fire season in the West at the beginning of summer, the report said, with most states besides Michigan and North Dakota experiencing some level of drought or abnormal dryness. It cited the National Interagency Fire Center’s April outlook for significant fire potential in much of the South and Southwest during April and May, and said large portions of the West face increased wildfire risk in June and July. The report also noted that climate change has increased the risk and extent of U.S. wildfires over the last two decades, citing NOAA.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued parallel guidance focused on protecting people most vulnerable to air pollution from wildfire smoke. Laina Stebbins, a department spokesperson, said children, pregnant people and older adults are often most at risk, and she pointed to studies linking exposure to higher outdoor air pollution levels with increased emergency department visits, hospitalizations and deaths.
The health guidance explained that wildfire smoke contains large amounts of PM2.5 fine particles and described the health implications it can be associated with, including cardiopulmonary illnesses, premature mortality and mental health issues. MDHHS recommended residents use an air purifier, run air conditioning, and use a MERV-13 filter (or better) for both, and it said that if an air conditioner has a fresh-air option, residents should close the intake.
For window units, MDHHS advised they are acceptable if they have tight seals between the unit and the window and operate in recirculation mode to prevent outside air from entering. People who do not have access to air purifiers or air conditioning could consider setting up a “clean room” to keep smoke and particulates as low as possible, or building a do-it-yourself air filter using a box fan and MERV-13 air filter, according to the guidance.
If residents must go outside during heavy air pollution, the department recommended using an N95 or P100 respirator marked with “NIOSH,” and it said KN95 and KF94 respirators can also be used if those first choices are not available. The report said more information is available in Planet Detroit’s wildfire smoke guide.