HOW PEOPLE ARE DEALING WITH THIS HAZE. TODD. STACY, WE’RE ON THE TERRACE HERE AT GRAY’S LAKE. WE GOT A PRETTY GOOD VIEW OF REALLY WHAT IS A VERY HAZY DOWNEY TOWN SKYLINE AND THE TODAY’S PHENOMENON REALLY SOMETHING YOU CAN SEE AND YOU CAN EVEN SMELL. THIS IS NOT NORMAL. AND IT’S CLEARLY CORLEY HARD TO SEE THE DOWNTOWN AT THIS POINT. SO IT’S IT’S VERY HARD ON PEOPLE WITH ALLERGIES. KATIE BOLAN IS RIGHT. THE FAMILIAR DES MOINES SKYLINE JUST ABOUT DISAPPEARS IN THE FOGGY HAZE BLANKETING IOWA. YOU CAN EVEN SMELL IT. YOU CAN SMELL THE DIFFERENCE OF THE SMOKE, WHICH IS YOU WOULDN’T THINK YOU COULD, BUT YOU CAN SMOKE FROM NEARLY 500 SEPARATE CANADIAN WILDFIRES CONTINUES TO CHOKE THE MIDWEST. THE BAD AIR BEGAN TO MOVE IN EARLIER THIS WEEK TO EASTERN IOWA. THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES POSTED THIS MAP SHOWING UNHEALTHY AIR MARKED IN RED OVER TWO THIRDS OF THE STATE LAST NIGHT I NOTICED IT. IT LOOKED LIKE IT’S FOG, BUT IT WAS MORE LIKE SMOKY LOOKING. SO IT JUST WAS REALLY WEIRD. THE MINUTE YOU STEPPED OUT OF THE CAR, IT SMELLED LIKE A CAMPFIRE AND IT WAS VERY HAZY. SO YEAH, YOU NOTICE IT AND YOU CAN FEEL IT. LIKE WHEN YOU’RE BREATHING AND YOU’RE WITH YOUR SINUSES SEEM TO LOOK BACK THAT THE IOWA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION SAYS THE SMOKY AIR CAN BE A RISK FOR SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST. RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND STAYING INSIDE WHEN THE AIR QUALITY IS VERY POOR, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE SOME OF THOSE UNDERLYING CONDITIONS RUNNING THAT AIR CONDITIONER, MAKING SURE YOU HAVE A HIGH QUALITY FILTER AND JUST GOOD GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS TOO, LIKE STAYING HYDRATED. FOR MOST PEOPLE, THE BAD AIR IS JUST AN ANNOYANCE. THE AIR QUALITY ALERT IS SET TO END THURSDAY. AND ONE OTHER BIT OF ADVICE WE HEARD. YOU CAN SET YOUR CAR’S AIR CONDITIONING TO RECIRCULATE ASHTON AND THAT KEEPS A LOT OF THAT BAD AIR OUT OF YOUR CAR AND ALSO COOLS YOUR CAR F
Will there be more bad air quality in central Iowa this year?
If you think air quality has been a bad issue this year, you are not wrong. Since 2000, this year has been the worst year for air quality in the Des Moines area.
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Updated: 2:29 PM CDT Jul 21, 2023
If you think air quality has been a bad issue this year, you are not wrong. Since 2000, this year has been the worst year for air quality in the Des Moines area. Above video: Smoke in Iowa's air increases risk of sudden cardiac arrestI determined this by looking at the number of code orange air and or worse quality days. When the air quality index for a specific site ranges between 101-150, it is categorized as "code orange" or "unhealthy for sensitive groups" like people with respiratory issues. Code red is deemed when the air quality index for a site ranges from 151-200 and is categorized as “unhealthy” for all people. This year, a code orange or higher air quality has been declared 14 times in Des Moines with three of those days being classified as code red. Nine of the 14 days with code orange or worse air quality have had ozone listed as the primary pollutant, while the other five days had smoke listed as the primary pollutant. 2023 has had the most ozone primary pollutant days in Des Moines since 2007. Ozone and smoke are typically the greatest contributors to poor air quality. Ozone is a gas that forms when sunlight reacts with the exhaust from vehicles, power plants, solvents and paints. When ozone resides in the layer of the atmosphere above the layer where most of our weather occurs, it is beneficial because it shields Earth from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. However, when it mixes down or becomes trapped at the surface, it can be harmful for humans to breathe. Smoke is a fine particulate matter that is smaller than mold, dust, and hair particles that can travel into the lungs and bloodstream creating a host of health problems. This year aside, the trend for ozone accounting for code orange or worse air quality days has been decreasing. Smoke remains an issue for air pollution and has resulted in three of our worst air quality days so far this year for Central Iowa on June 28, June 29, and July 23 respectively. This year’s smoke has primarily been attributed to out-of-control wildfires in multiple Canadian provinces. Smoke-generated air pollution can also be induced by local human activities such as fireworks similar to the night following Independence Day 2020.Current and archived air quality information can be found on the Federal Government Air Now website and the US EPA.
DES MOINES, Iowa — If you think air quality has been a bad issue this year, you are not wrong. Since 2000, this year has been the worst year for air quality in the Des Moines area.
Hearst Owned
Air Quality Headlines
US Environmental Protection Agency
Daily air quality index values in Des Moines area since 2000
Above video: Smoke in Iowa's air increases risk of sudden cardiac arrest
I determined this by looking at the number of code orange air and or worse quality days. When the air quality index for a specific site ranges between 101-150, it is categorized as "code orange" or "unhealthy for sensitive groups" like people with respiratory issues. Code red is deemed when the air quality index for a site ranges from 151-200 and is categorized as “unhealthy” for all people. This year, a code orange or higher air quality has been declared 14 times in Des Moines with three of those days being classified as code red. Nine of the 14 days with code orange or worse air quality have had ozone listed as the primary pollutant, while the other five days had smoke listed as the primary pollutant. 2023 has had the most ozone primary pollutant days in Des Moines since 2007.
Hearst Owned
Code orange or worse ozone pollutant days
Hearst Owned
Code orange smoke pollutant air quality days
Ozone and smoke are typically the greatest contributors to poor air quality. Ozone is a gas that forms when sunlight reacts with the exhaust from vehicles, power plants, solvents and paints. When ozone resides in the layer of the atmosphere above the layer where most of our weather occurs, it is beneficial because it shields Earth from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. However, when it mixes down or becomes trapped at the surface, it can be harmful for humans to breathe. Smoke is a fine particulate matter that is smaller than mold, dust, and hair particles that can travel into the lungs and bloodstream creating a host of health problems.
This year aside, the trend for ozone accounting for code orange or worse air quality days has been decreasing. Smoke remains an issue for air pollution and has resulted in three of our worst air quality days so far this year for Central Iowa on June 28, June 29, and July 23 respectively. This year’s smoke has primarily been attributed to out-of-control wildfires in multiple Canadian provinces. Smoke-generated air pollution can also be induced by local human activities such as fireworks similar to the night following Independence Day 2020.
Current and archived air quality information can be found on the Federal Government Air Now website and the US EPA.
