Superior Suspends Outdoor City Work Due To Hazardous Air

Superior Mayor Jim Paine announced on Friday morning that he has made the decision to bring outdoor city workers inside due to the hazardous air quality.

In a Facebook post on Friday morning, the mayor said he closed the landfill and stopped all outdoor work in the city. This comes after several days of hazardous air quality indexes, which at some points reached a 1,000 AQI.

For reference, any air quality index in the triple digits is unhealthy. An AQI over 300 is considered hazardous for all people, and you should stay indoors. If you must go outside, you should wear an N95 mask to limit your exposure to the toxic particle matter in the air.

The wildfire smoke has been blowing into the Great Lakes region from Canadian wildfires and fires burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. 

Friday Garbage Pickup In Superior Delayed

Mayor Paine says that if you had garbage pickup scheduled for Friday, they'll come by on Monday or Tuesday and pick it up. He also mentioned they will be looking into decent safety equipment for workers.

Unfortunately, this is something we probably need to plan for in the long term, as we've already seen several very smoky summers, and the trend is getting worse. Experts say it's due to climate change. The vast Canadian wilderness has warmed and is a tinderbox for fires, often caused by lightning strikes.

Read More: Northland Smoke-Related Cancellations, Closings, And Announcements