Air-quality issues from Canadian wildfire smoke will linger another day around Philly
When combined with the Philly area’s warm, sunny weather, the incoming smoke stands to increase levels of ozone, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said.
Smoke from numerous Canadian wildfires is again impacting the Philadelphia region this week, with environmental authorities issuing code orange air quality alerts largely in effect through Tuesday as a result of the blazes’ aftermath settling in on the area.
The wildfires’ smoke will likely stick around the Philadelphia region through Tuesday, driving up fine particulate pollution levels in the late morning and afternoon, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said. Much of central and eastern Pennsylvania was expected to experience similar air-quality issues, the department added.
As a result, the department issued a code orange alert through midnight Tuesday for those areas of the state, including Philadelphia and its collar counties. The alert followed a previous code orange alert — technically known as a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day — issued Monday for ozone pollution on the region.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, too, put a number of its counties under a code orange air quality alert Monday due to the wildfire smoke’s impact in the Garden State. Many areas in South Jersey — including Camden, Cherry Hill, Mount Holly, and Glassboro — were expected to remain under the alert until midnight Monday.
And all of Delaware was likewise under a code orange alert Monday, the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control said. Tuesday in the First State is likely to see some wildfire smoke impacts, but ozone levels were expected to be limited by increased cloud cover, leading to a moderate air quality index, one step below a code orange, the department indicated.
Ozone levels in the Philadelphia area were expected to reach peak levels Monday afternoon, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement. While high levels of ozone are common in summer, they can increase due to environmental factors like wildfire smoke, which reacts with sunlight to create additional ozone molecules, the department added.
Airborne fine particulates, referred to as PM2.5 due to their size in micrometers, can easily be inhaled and lead to health issues, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. They also contribute to the hazy effect that can be present during air quality alerts.
The level of pollution seen on code orange days can be challenging to people respiratory problems, as well as young children and the elderly. Those groups should limit their time outdoors to reduce their exposure to pollutants, and participate in “less strenuous activities” if they must be outside, according to the agency’s AirNow website.
The code orange alerts come amid more than 700 active fires in Canada, roughly 200 of which are considered to be burning out of control as of Monday evening, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Smoke from the fires has prompted air quality alerts in a number of states near the Canadian border in recent days, and put cities like Detroit and Minneapolis among those with the worst air quality in the world Monday, rankings from IQAir indicate.
The Philadelphia region last week saw similar air quality issues as a result of the wildfires. Those came during a period of hot, humid weather that broke Friday, resulting in pleasant temperatures following a bout of storms.
Like Monday, Tuesday is expected to be sunny and approaching 90 degrees, with low humidity, according to the National Weather Service. Highs in the mid-80s are expected to remain throughout the week.