An Air Quality Advisory was issued by the city of Wichita on Tuesday, because of smoke from range burning in the Flint Hills.   Winds carried the smoke into the Wichita area and there was a smell of smoke in the air around the city.

Each year, controlled burns are conducted in the Flint Hills to help maintain the grasslands and prevent pests and promote new growth of grass.  A burn ban is in effect for 16 counties, including Sedgwick and Butler.

The burn ban is for non-agricultural related outdoor burning.  The ban is to compensate for the low air quality created by the controlled burns to keep ozone and smoke from pushing into levels that are too dangerous for public health.

⚠️ An Air Quality Advisory is in effect for Wichita today. Air Quality conditions today could be unhealthy for sensitive groups ⚠️
Rangeland burning coupled with winds out of the east will almost certainly bring smoke into the Wichita MSA, impacting air quality. pic.twitter.com/60UE2MvgW6

— City of Wichita (@CityofWichita) April 2, 2019

The city reported a spike in pollution levels around 1 p.m. but the levels dropped off later in the day.  People in sensitive groups were still being urged to limit their time outdoors into the evenig hours.