Maps show wildfire smoke forecast as air quality worsens in Pittsburgh area
Wildfire smoke is smothering the Pittsburgh area, leading to extremely poor air quality that is expected to stick around all day on Friday.
The entire state of Pennsylvania is under a Code Purple air quality alert, meaning the current level of pollution drifting down from the wildfires in Canada and Minnesota is considered "very unhealthy" for everyone. Sensitive groups like children, the elderly and those with respiratory issues like asthma should avoid all physical activity outdoors, and everyone else should avoid doing anything taxing like exercise or yardwork.
Maps show wildfire smoke forecast
Smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota "significantly" deteriorated the air quality across Pennsylvania all day Thursday, the Allegheny County Health Department said. On Thursday, the county entered the maroon range on the Air Quality Index, which meant the air quality was considered hazardous.
Most of Pennsylvania is expected to be in the purple range on Friday, though some areas could dip back into maroon.
Without a lot of movement of the wildfire smoke, air quality is expected to be poor all day Friday. The smoke will clear out Saturday morning as a warm front moves in, shifting and increasing the winds. However, it will return Sunday, though it's not expected to be as bad.
Tips for staying safe in unhealthy air quality
When air quality is this bad, health officials recommend sensitive groups like children, elderly residents and people with asthma stay inside and keep activity levels low. Everyone else is recommended to avoid all physical activity outdoors.
If you don't have an air conditioner, the health department says staying inside with the windows closed may be dangerous in the extremely hot temperatures the Pittsburgh area is seeing. If you're hot, find somewhere with air conditioning, like a cooling center.
Set your air conditioner to recirculate, so it's not pulling in air from outside. And if you do have to go outside, wearing a mask can help filter out those particulates in the air.
Public health researchers have found every two hours in the "very unhealthy Code Purple air quality is about the same as smoking one cigarette. So being exposed to this air for 24 hours is the same as smoking at least half a pack of cigarettes.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said state officials are monitoring the poor air quality across the commonwealth.
"PEMA has been in touch with local counties to make sure they have the resources they need," Shapiro said.
How to check your air quality
To see your current air quality, go to airnow.gov. The Allegheny County Health Department is advising people to stay up to date with their current air quality. You can also see the current air quality in Pittsburgh below.
Photos show Pittsburgh-area wildfire smoke
People across western Pennsylvania are feeling the impact of the wildfire smoke.
"There's smoke all the way down the valley, man," said Bill Ayres from Beaver Falls. "Everywhere, haze in front of you, haze in back of you. Everywhere, man."
You can see how badly western Pennsylvania is getting hit by the wildfire smoke in the photos below.
