By Carol Stiffler
The sun’s out often lately, but the sky isn’t often blue. Smoke from Canadian wildfires has drifted south with enough strength to keep the sky white from sunrise to sunset.
It’s the third summer in a row where the U.P., and a majority of the United States, has been adversely affected by massive Canadian wildfires.
In 2023, 45.7 million acres of Canadian forest burned. In 2024, 13 million acres of Canada’s forests burned, a 350% improvement from 2023, but it was still the second-worst wildfire season for Canada since 1995. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that as of June 5, 2025, more than 6.4 million acres of Canadian forests have burned. NOAA reports that strong winds and dry conditions may make this fire season – which extends from May through September – get worse yet.
The statistics are staggering, but the real local impact is the air quality. Michigan officials released air quality warnings on May 30, June 5, and June 6 so far this spring, indicating that the air carried particulate matter – tiny pieces of dust, soot, chemicals, and metals – less than 2.5 micrometers in size. That’s more than 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair, and those particles can enter a person’s bloodstream.
Monday and Tuesday’s air quality index, as shared by www.AirNow.gov (a part of the Environmental Protection Agency) was labeled “moderate” locally, with a quality score of 52 and 50, respectively. Lower scores are better on the AirNow air quality index. Moderate air quality shouldn’t disturb most people, but can impact the elderly, children, or people with pre-existing respiratory issues.
Some people advise checking that air quality index before heading outdoors on summer adventures.
“We urge folks to plan accordingly by taking precautions based on the current conditions, air quality advisories and recommendations and forecasts,” said John Pepin, Michigan Department of Natural Resources deputy public information officer, in a news release. “Always play it safe, know before you go and plan ahead.”
