An air quality advisory is in effect across most of Southeast Michigan until noon Monday, Feb. 16.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy issued the advisory -- which is unusual for February.
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The following counties are under the advisory:
- Oakland
- Wayne
- Livingston
- Macomb
- Washtenaw
- St. Clair
- Monroe
Why has it been issued?
An Air Quality Advisory for particulate matter during snowmelt can sound confusing, but the basic idea is pretty simple.
As snow melts, it releases tiny particles that were trapped in the snow all winter.
These can include dust, road salt, sand, vehicle exhaust residue, and other fine debris.
Normally, wind and rising air help carry these particles up and away so they can spread out and become less concentrated.
Right now, that natural “ventilation” isn’t happening.
Winds are very light, so the air near the ground isn’t moving much. At the same time, a strong temperature inversion is in place.
That means a layer of warmer air is sitting above colder air near the surface, acting like a lid on a pot.
This lid prevents air from rising and mixing, so anything near the ground, including those fine particles from melting snow, gets trapped close to where we breathe.
When particles build up like this, air quality can drop quickly, especially for people with asthma, heart or lung conditions, children, and older adults.
The advisory is simply a heads-up that the air isn’t clearing out the way it normally would, so pollution is temporarily building up near the ground.
Once winds pick up or the inversion breaks, the air will mix again, and conditions should improve, which as of right now, we are expecting to happen by the time we get to Monday afternoon.