Great news Wisconsinites, for the first time in over a week, you shouldn't have to worry about being outside because of air quality.
On Aug. 6, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has not extended its Wisconsin air quality alert — a decision it hasn't made since July 30.
The smoke from Canada's raging wildfires negatively affected the state's air quality so much recently that Milwaukee had the worst Air Quality Index in the entire country July 31, with a score of 190. Also that day, six of the 10 cities with the worst air quality in the U.S. were in Wisconsin.
Smoke lingered for as long as it did because of high pressure in the atmosphere, which National Weather Service meteorologist Denny VanCleve said acts almost "like a bubble or a dome" to trap the smoke.
The riddance of the alert means the high pressure has dissipated and wind directions have changed, something the NWS was expecting to happen.
"We're going to have the high shifting eastward and southerly winds are going to develop," VanCleve said the morning of Aug. 6. "That'll be particularly helpful with the near surface smoke, and will help to push that back northward and clear it out."
VanCleve said with the wildfires still active, there is always a chance the smoke could return, but it's unlikely this weekend as southerly winds are poised to continue.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: DNR ends air quality alert in Wicconsin for first time in over a week
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