Wildfire activity in Michigan is currently minimal, and smoke in the Upper Peninsula is not a concern despite last week’s Benzie Road Fire in Roscommon, MI.
The widespread Canadian wildfires last summer resulted in hazy skies and air quality alerts across the western UP. After the recent wildfires in lower Michigan, some residents may be wondering whether that smoke will drift north and lower the air quality.
When asked about the current smoke risk, Peter Baril, the interim Environmental Health Director for the Hancock Office of Public Health, explained that the wildfires downstate are not affecting the western UP because they are very small compared to last summer’s Canadian wildfires. “They might be affecting local air quality, but not on a regional or national scale. They are very different from the fires in Canada that were much larger,” he said.
Shifting seasonal temperatures can influence how wildfire smoke moves and impacts people. Jim Schmierer, the professor of Michigan Tech’s wildland fire course, said that cooler weather patterns can help disperse smoke. When high-pressure systems stall, smoke tends to linger in the air. Cooler temperatures and passing weather fronts help relieve this. Schmierer also noted that heat combined with smoke can feel especially oppressive, especially for people who rely on open windows and fans for cooling.
