MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin DNR says the eastern half of the state is under threat from 'unhealthy' to 'very unhealthy' air quality on Tuesday.

View the DNR's air quality map here.

An air quality ADVISORY for Unhealthy PM2.5 levels is in effect from 6/26/2023 06:00 to 6/29/2023 12:00 for the following counties:

Adams,Ashland,Barron,Bayfield,Brown,Buffalo,Burnett,Calumet,Chippewa,Clark,Columbia,Crawford,Dane,Dodge,Door,Douglas,Dunn,Eau Claire,Florence,Fond du Lac,Forest,Grant,Green,Green Lake,Iowa,Iron,Jackson,Jefferson,Juneau,Kenosha,Kewaunee.

WI DNR

That map shows Waukesha is now up to 323 on the Air Quality Index and is officially "hazardous." That is the highest category in the index.

The haze is due to the smoke from the ongoing Canadian wildfires.

Wisconsin DNR

"​I've never seen the city like this before," said Waukesha resident, Joel Ellington.

A smokey thick haze could be seen for miles in downtown Waukesha, making the city look like something out of a Stephen King movie.

"Driving, it was just surreal, everything was a fog, and as far as you could see there was just a haze on everything. It's scary," said resident Erica Vazquez.

Vazquez, who works at a dog spa downtown, said she felt the effects of Tuesday's hazardous air quality almost immediately.

"I stepped out the door this afternoon for lunch and it literally took my breath away. I got short of breath pretty fast and I usually don't have any breathing issues."

News of the city's record air quality index reaching more than 300, had long-time Waukesha resident Ellington worried.

"​I have asthma so I have my inhaler in my pocket, I'm concerned about the air quality," said Ellington. "I also work part-time in the emergency room. We've been seeing more people coming in with shortness of breath and breathing-related issues."

Due to the dangerous conditions, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is urging people to stay indoors as much as possible.

"​I've canceled plans, I wanted to go do a bike ride, do some hiking, take my dog out with me, and I kind of shelved those plans until the air quality is a little better," said Ellington.

"We are just going to hunker down and try to stay inside with the air purifiers and the windows closed," said Vazquez.

The DNR said in a statement that under these conditions, people with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion and also consider avoiding all physical outdoor activities. "Everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion and consider avoiding prolonged or heavy exertion," the agency said.

• Check The Interactive Radar
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• Active Weather Alerts
• 5 ways you can protect yourself from wildfire smoke

Tuesday's smoke concentrations will be high at ground level, bringing air quality down to the 'unhealthy' category. Consider limiting time outdoors, especially if you suffer from heart or lung disease. Older adults and children should also limit outdoor exposure.
High concentrations of smoke will make skies look gray and hazy all day. Think about limiting time outdoors and avoid strenuous outdoor exercise (running, biking, etc). Highs will be in the mid-70s near the lake, and in the low 80s inland. A lake breeze will cool things off slightly late afternoon.

Meanwhile, the City of Milwaukee Health Department issued a statement emphasizing Milwaukee is in the Purple “Very Unhealthy” category in the Air Quality Index. City health officials recommend people do the following during the smog:

• Avoid all outdoor activities and stay inside as much as possible
• Close your windows and doors
• Implement high-efficiency air filters indoors, if available
• Wear an N95 mask if you have to be outside, especially those with existing medical conditions
• Check on your friends, family, and neighbors, especially older adults and pregnant people, to ensure their safety

More information from the DNR:

• DNR Air Quality
• DNR Air Program Contacts
• Do a little, save a lot

Read the DNR statement below:

The DNR also provides this information on its website:

Read the Milwaukee Health Department statement:

Rainfall likely won't be enough to extinguish Quebec wildfires causing US smoke, officials say

By the Associated Press, June 27, 2023

MONTREAL (AP) — Rainfall likely won’t be enough to extinguish the wildfires ravaging northern Quebec, but the wet weather could give firefighters a chance to get ahead of the flames, officials said Tuesday, as Canada surpassed the record for area burned by wildfires this week.

Drifting smoke from wildfires across Canada is creating curtains of haze and raising air quality concerns throughout the Great Lakes region, and in parts of the central and eastern United States.

Meanwhile, NASA is reporting that smoke from wildfires in northern Quebec has reached Europe. The American space agency said satellite imagery from Monday showed smoke extending across the North Atlantic Ocean to the Iberian Peninsula, France and other parts of western Europe.

Air quality in Europe has not deteriorated to the extent seen in Canada and the U.S., however, because of the height of the smoke in the atmosphere, NASA explained.

In Quebec, where nearly a quarter of the fires are burning in Canada, the province's forest fire prevention agency — SOPFEU — is evaluating the effects of recent rainfall, Katia Petit, Quebec associate deputy minister for civil protection, told reporters.

“If enough rain falls, it will allow SOPFEU personnel to intensify their work directly in the field, to work on the fires and prevent them from starting up again once the dry weather returns,” Petit said.

Environment Canada meteorologist Simon Legault said he expects rain to stop falling by Wednesday morning in the regions most affected by forest fires. He said warm, sunny weather could return thereafter with a chance of only isolated showers through the weekend.

More rain could come in the first week of July, but nothing like the “organized system” of showers covering the province this week, Legault forecasted.

Earlier this month, massive fires burning stretches of Canadian forests blanketed the northeastern United States and the Great Lakes region, turning the air yellowish gray, and prompting warnings for people to stay inside.

Despite the rain, the task of controlling the province’s fires remains “colossal,” said Julie Coupal, SOPFEU assistant director. The agency counted more than 100 wildfires across the province Tuesday, including 77 in the southern half, where more than two dozen fires were considered out of control.

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported Monday that 76,129 square kilometers (29,393 square miles) of forest and other land has burned across Canada since Jan. 1. That exceeds the previous record set in 1989 of 75,596 square kilometers (29,187 square miles), according to the National Forestry Database.

Currently there are 490 fires burning nationally, with 255 of them considered to be out of control.

Ongoing evacuation orders had displaced around 4,400 people in Quebec as of Tuesday morning.

How to protect yourself from wildfire smoke and poor air quality

Wildfire smoke can cause symptoms like sneezing and watery or burning eyes, phlegm or a wheezing cough. It can make breathing difficult or aggravate a person's asthma. For certain cardiovascular patients, it can lead to stroke or heart attack.

With dangerous air quality, ER visits and hospitalizations tend to go up.

"We expect more and more people to get exposed to this, and that it will be a lot more people presenting to the hospital in need for respiratory treatment, having respiratory difficulty. Headaches, feeling lightheaded, all the things that would be expected from exposure," said Dr. Frederick Davis, associate chair of the emergency department at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.

The issue is the very fine particulate matter that gets inhaled — it's smaller than a strand of hair. Breathing that in, even in small amounts, should be avoided, according to experts.

"The key message really is to really limit your time outdoors to the extent possible, to stay indoors as much as possible. Protect the air in your car in your home. Really try to keep the smoke from coming in," William Barrett with the American Lung Association said.

The elderly, those with underlying health issues, and children and most at risk. Above all, for anyone who can, check your air quality — most weather apps on your phone include it. Anything above a score of 100 is reason to take precautions. That can include running an air filter inside your home.

If you're driving, make sure your car is circulating the air.

If you are outside, any mask is better than nothing to protect from inhaling smoke. Doctors say consider a KN95 mask or a respirator from a local hardware store, because you want something snug fitting.

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