Air quality alert issued for all of Wisconsin as more Canadian wildfire smoke moves south

Last week, Canadian wildfire smoke blanketed Wisconsin and caused the Air Quality Index to reach the unhealthy level for sensitive groups.

Six days later, on July 31, the smoke appears to have a worse impact on the air.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued an air quality advisory for all of the state until noon July 31, with the AQI values ranging from unhealthy for sensitive groups to unhealthy in general — and a possibility it could be upgraded to the very unhealthy level.

As a precaution, the National Weather Service is advising people in sensitive groups, including children, older adults and people with lung or heart conditions like asthma, to avoid being outside.

The smoke has been in northern Wisconsin since July 29, and slowly moved south to affect the rest of the state in the following days. It will hang around all morning July 31 before moving back north on Aug. 1.

See air quality in your area

See the live map below to track air quality in your area. Green indicates good air quality, while yellow is moderate and orange is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

What is an air quality alert?

Air quality alerts are issued when elevated levels of pollutants in the air make it unsafe to be outside.

Particles from the Canadian wildfire smoke can cause minor symptoms, such as mild eye or throat irritation, or more serious heart and lung issues in some cases, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Wildfire smoke particles, which are called PM2.5, are especially dangerous for children, older adults, pregnant people and those with heart or respiratory conditions.

How to check the air quality in Wisconsin

The DNR has interactive air quality maps, which show the AQI and any active alerts or advisories by county. You can view them on the department's website , or you can also type in your ZIP code into the AirNow.gov website to view air quality in your area.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Air quality alert issued for all of Wisconsin as smoke moves south