Iowa Air Quality declines again Sunday

Hazy conditions could be seen in Des Moines area past few days. Photo by Wendy Wilde

DES MOINES - Smoke from wildfires in Canada and in Montana have caused hazy conditions in parts of  Iowa the past few days.  

On Sunday afternoon as temperatures neared 90, the Air Quality Index from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ranked Des Moines And all of Iowa with an air quality number of 80. Any number under 50 is considered good.  According to the EPA ozone levels were low, but  particulate matter in the air was at 80.  The most dangerous air quality category is over 100. 

For example, in Tacoma Washington on Friday the particulate matter in the air reached 122 according to the EPA.

The smoke originating from the wildfires burning across British Columbia, Canada, and more than  850 square miles (2,200 square kilometers) in drought-ridden Montana, is causing air quality issues across the northwestern U.S. as well as parts of the Upper Midwest.  

Photographers have noted stunning sunsets because of the particles in the air reflecting the glow of the setting sun.  Photo of sunset by Maureen Sullivan.  


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