EYEWITNESS WEATHER (WBRE/WYOU) — Canadian wildfire smoke continues to provide poor air quality and reduced visibility to northeastern and central Pennsylvania Thursday.
It will remain hazy, but not quite as smoky. Air quality alerts are in effect for all counties in our viewing area. It is a Code Red Alert.
The worst air quality is found across the Susquehanna Valley, Southern Tier, and Lehigh Valley. While the air quality has slightly improved over far northern PA.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says residents of South Central and Eastern Pennsylvania are advised to stay indoors due to hazardous air quality conditions caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires.
While a large part of the Commonwealth is experiencing smoky conditions, the South Central and Eastern regions are currently most impacted.
Conditions will likely improve throughout the day, moving the state into the Code Red Air Quality range for eastern Pennsylvania and a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for western Pennsylvania for fine particulate matter.
Here’s a closer look at some suggested precautions for dealing with the haze:
WHO SHOULD BE CAREFUL?
Exposure to elevated fine particle pollution levels can affect the lungs and heart.
The air quality alerts caution “sensitive groups,” a big category that includes children, older adults, and people with lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR NOW?
It’s a good time to put off that yard work and outdoor exercise. If you go out, consider wearing an N95 mask to reduce your exposure to pollutants.
Stay inside, keeping your doors, windows, and fireplaces shut. It’s recommended that you run the air conditioning on a recirculation setting.
Avoid strenuous outdoor activities. Keep outdoor activities short and consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them
TIPS TO HELP KEEP POLLUTION LOWER INDOORS:
- Don’t use candles or smoke indoors
- Keep windows and doors closed
- If you have an air filter in your home, now is a good time to use it
- Clean or replace filters according to manufacturer recommendations.
- If you don’t have one and want to make your own portable air cleaner designed to reduce particles indoors
HOW DOES THE REST OF THE WEEK LOOK?
Conditions continue to improve Friday with very little to no smoke impacts for the weekend.
