Pittsburgh Weather: Air quality turns poor today due to Canadian wildfire smoke
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Canadian wildfire smoke returns as the upper low that has brought us the rain over the past couple of days drift to the east.
This means our rain chances will be very low today as we begin the transition to clear skies starting tomorrow. Skies will remain cloudy. Highs should hit the upper 70s with a morning low near 60.
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I have noon temperatures right at 70°.
Let's talk a little more about the air quality alert as today is a First Alert Weather Day due to poor air quality.
For most, a red day is just a current annoyance that will impact you very little.
For those who have young lungs and are dealing with heart and lung disease, today could be a struggle. Just small tasks outside could lead to being overly taxed and winded.
Here's the thing, it is increasingly looking like we are going to hit the purple 'very unhealthy' level with air quality today with fine particulate matter levels over 200.
If we hit the purple level, I would expect some pools and other public places would decide to close down for the day.
The good news is that while today's air quality will be poor, things should improve drastically for Thursday with 'moderate air quality' forecast.
Thursday will probably be the best day of the week with highs in the low 80s and low humidity levels. Highs on Friday will hit the upper 80s.
Rain chances will return late Friday evening with a solid chance for rain on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
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