SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- There were hazy hues across Michiana Friday, as smog blankets the region.
Climate change makes wildfires hotter, bigger, and more frequent.
That's what Canada is experiencing; it saw its worst wildfire season in 2023, and there's more burning now.
And that smoke is now settling over Michiana and other parts of the Midwest. How dangerous is the air we are breathing?
ABC57's Annie Kate called Mark Derf, who forecasts air quality for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).
"We've seen an uptick in the smoke impacts for our state," Derf said. "So, those wildfires are burning, the smoke rises, and is caught up by those northwestern winds which bring it right into the Midwest."
How does that explain the lingering smog?
"The way the weather system is set up, there's been a series of fronts that come through, and not real strong fronts, but enough to transport that smoke from Canada to the South Bend area. Those fronts are kind of getting stalled out, or kind of weakening, so once the smoke is here, there's kind of more stagnant conditions, so the smoke doesn't really go anywhere, it kind of sits and it stays."
How dangerous is this air we are breathing?
"Smoke can get into your lungs and cause breathing difficulties or aggravated asthma, things like that," Derf said. "The fine particulates in the smoke can also get into your bloodstream, and impact your heart."
Once air quality hits the orange range, it's unhealthy for sensitive groups, so that's the time to close any windows. Once air quality hits the red range or worse--- you may want to avoid going outside altogether.
Air purifiers may help the air in one's home. Masks are useless, Derf said, unless they're an n-95 type, because of the very fine smoke particulates.
"Limiting your outdoor exposure is probably our best advice for people," he said.
To monitor local air quality, IDEM has a "SmogWatch" webpage that can be found here: https://www.in.gov/idem/airmonitoring/smogwatch/