Why is the air quality bad in Philadelphia today? What to know about wildfire smoke in the Delaware Valley.
Skies are extremely smokey and hazy in the Philadelphia area Thursday morning because of wildfire smoke that has moved into the region from Canada and Minnesota.
The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert for the entire region through Thursday night, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a statewide Code Red Air Quality Action Day because of the high levels of particulate matter in the air.
Like the rest of the region, Philadelphia is under a code red alert because the air could be unhealthy to breathe. Residents are encouraged to stay indoors as much as possible, and if you do have to spend an extended period of time outside, wear an N95 or KN95 mask. Running air conditioning can also help recirculate the air.
Older adults, children and people with heart or lung conditions are at a greater risk of being impacted by the unhealthy air conditions on Thursday.
The Breathe Philly Dashboard, Philadelphia's real-time air quality monitoring system, gives residents a real-time look at the air quality in specific neighborhoods across the city. As of 7 a.m., all of the system's monitors are indicting unhealthy air quality.
EPA data shows the city's air quality has progressively gotten worse since Wednesday night, and according to CBS News Philadelphia meteorologist Kate Bilo, conditions will continue to deteriorate tonight into Friday morning.
This round of smoke is once again coming from the hundreds of ongoing wildfires that are burning across Ontario and other parts of Canada, with some additional smoke also being transported from fires in Minnesota. A northerly flow in the atmosphere has carried that smoke south into the Mid-Atlantic, and unfortunately it's become concentrated close to the ground, making the haze much more noticeable than some of the higher-altitude smoke we've seen recently.
Temperatures Thursday will also climb into the 90s with feels-like temperatures into the triple digits. The combination of heat and poor air quality means outdoor workouts, yard work, and other strenuous activities are best kept to a minimum today, especially during the afternoon.
As winds gradually shift and the atmosphere begins to mix out, air quality should slowly improve heading into Friday, although some lingering haze may still be noticeable.
Villanova University professor Ruth McDermott-Levy says a scratchy throat or itchy eyes means you're starting to feeling the effects of the smoke.
"We've got these really small particles that have all kinds of toxins in them," she said. "And then we breathe them in and when the particles are really small, they can get way down into our lungs and actually get into our bloodstream. So it can really cause a problem, especially long-term exposure."
