HARRISBURG—The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a Code Red Air Quality Action Day throughout the entire Commonwealth for fine particulate matter.
Pennsylvania residents should limit their outdoor activities. Children, sensitive populations such as older people, those who exercise or work outdoors and those with lung or respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema, or bronchitis should avoidprolonged or heavy outdoor exertion.
Smoke due to wildfires in eastern Canada will likely contribute to daily average concentrations of fine particulate matter in the Code Red range on Wednesday, with areas farther east experiencing worse air quality, possibly into Code Purple ranges. For areas in Code Purple, all residents should limit outdoor exertion, and sensitive populations should avoid all outdoor exertion.
Residents are encouraged to limit their time outdoors but do not need to shelter in place. Pets and other animals should be kept indoors.
The weather pattern pushing the smoke from wildfires in eastern Quebec is forecast to continue until Friday for most of Pennsylvania. DEP will continue to update the forecast to determine ongoing needs for Air Quality Alerts.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI)Opens In A New Window provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality; Yellow means moderate air quality; Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all.
An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher. On an Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.
Joe Bauco of the National Weather Service at State College said we can start to see a dense fog of smoke moving into Franklin county on Thursday, June 8.
The smoke will linger in the area for about 24 hours before it begins to blow out Friday evening into Saturday.
Bauco said he does not think Franklin County can expect to see any ash in the air, but it is a possibility. The particles they are tracking for Franklin County are much smaller than the ash being reported in the north.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency said poor air quality can cause:
Headaches, eye & sinus irritation, fatigue, difficulty breathing, chest pains, asthma attacks, irritated throat, and increased coughing.
Limit time outdoors and avoid strenuous activity. Keep an eye on people with breathing issues. If you don’t have to be outside, stay inside.
