FORECAST SUMMARY: Thursday, June 5, 2025, through Friday, June 6, 2025
Air Quality Advisory for Thursday – Friday Noon, June 5-6, 2025
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is issuing an Air Quality Advisory for elevated levels of fine particulate (PM2.5) for all counties in the Lower Peninsula. Pollutants within those areas could reach the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (Orange AQI) range.
The Thursday-Friday Noon Air Quality Advisory includes the following counties:
Lower Peninsula
All Lower Peninsula counties…
OZONE: 8-hour average Ozone concentrations are expected to range between Good (AQI Green) and Moderate (AQI Yellow).
PM-2.5: 24-hour average Fine Particulate concentrations are expected to range from Moderate (AQI Yellow) in the Upper Peninsula to mostly USG (AQI Orange) and occasional Unhealthy (AQI Red) in the Lower Peninsula.
FORECAST DISCUSSION
Smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to threaten Michigan. The Wednesday Air Quality models indicated USG level concentrations would be isolated to the Northern Lower Peninsula, but a review of the Thursday morning monitors showed the thickest of the smoke had advanced further south, than anticipated, and will continue southward. As such, the AQD has modified the Thursday forecast to place the entirety of the Lower Peninsula in a USG Advisory status from Thursday until noon, Friday. Some monitors are currently showing hourly values in the Unhealthy range, but we do not expect concentrations that high that to persist.
This episode should finally conclude by the end of Friday. The Upper Peninsula is already beginning to clean out and Moderate conditions are migrating southward. There is still a considerable amount of smoke in Canada and the models are indicating a late weekend frontal system could draw down more smoke, next week. However, it is too early to make any firm forecasts.
Although we expect Friday to be the last day for Advisories, we will update this forecast, Friday morning, to confirm the end of this smoke episode and the potential for any late weekend smoke.
EXTENDED FORECAST:
Air Quality is expected to finally show improvement by the weekend but could deteriorate by the end of the weekend.
Next forecast update: Friday, June 6, 2025