Waukesha now has worst air quality in state as levels at 'hazardous' stage

Christopher Kuhagen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·2 min read
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Waukesha County reached dangerous air quality levels Tuesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, Brookfield reached such extreme air quality levels that it was the worst in the country, according to IQAir.com.

The site listed Brookfield with an Air Quality Index level of 329, which has reached the hazardous stage. When compared to the large cities the website tracks in the world, no other city has worse air quality than Brookfield.

When an AQI is between 301-500 it has entered this hazardous category.

When your city or state is in this level everyone should avoid all physical activity outdoors and people with asthma should follow an action plan and keep quick-relief medicine handy, according to expert guidance.

Tuesday evening, the city of Waukesha reached the highest mark in the state with an AQI of 393, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The city of Milwaukee remains in the "very unhealthy" category (201-300) at its AQI level, which takes into account ozone and particulate matter solution measurements. Parts of Ozaukee County also reached a "very unhealthy" Tuesday evening, according to the DNR.

All of Wisconsin is under an air quality advisory through noon Thursday.

The poor air quality is leading to outdoor events being canceled in the Milwaukee area and health departments urging people to take caution. All of Waukesha's Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department programs were canceled Tuesday evening and its pools closed early.

The deteriorating air quality is being caused by smoke from thousands of Canadian wildfires that haven't let up this year. But the AQI levels in Wisconsin had yet to reach such high levels until Tuesday. There has already been a record-setting number of wildfires this season in Canada.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Waukesha's air quality near Milwaukee is worst in Wisconsin