Smoky air in Western Pa. improving, still unhealthy for some

The air quality in the Western Pennsylvania region is still rough, but it’s getting better as winds push smoke from Canadian wildfires toward the eastern seaboard.

Despite the improvement, it’s still not good for some people to breathe outside.

On Friday, with air quality improved slightly, the National Weather Service in Moon set the alert to Code Orange, which will remain in effect until midnight.

code orange in PA

— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) June 30, 2023

A statewide Code Orange Air Quality Action Day has been issued for Friday, June 30, for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) due to continuing Canadian wildfire smoke. The highest levels of PM2.5 will be early overnight hours and fall into the Code Orange range on average for the day. pic.twitter.com/moJLdCblbp

— Allegheny County Health Department (@HealthAllegheny) June 29, 2023

A Code Orange alert means air pollution concentrations in the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups that include children, the elderly and people suffering from asthma, heart disease or other lung ailments.

At 7 a.m. Friday, the air quality index was 190 and is expected to decrease over the course of the day.

On Thursday, the alert was a Code Red for 13 Western Pennsylvania counties — meaning air pollution concentrations in the region are unhealthful for the entire general population.

“On Thursday, the winds were coming in from the north and west, which pushed smoke from the wildfires into the region,” said meteorologist Fred McMullen. “The wind is now coming in from the west and southwest, which will help move the smoke eastward.”

The forecast through the weekend also calls for sporadic showers and thunderstorms each day, which will help reduce the lingering smoke, McMullen said.

Air quality is measured using a numerical index that measures pollution levels. The region’s air quality typically is in the “good” range, which is between zero and 50. The “moderate” range is between 51 and 100.

The air becomes unhealthy for sensitive groups when the index falls rises to between 101 and 150. And polluted air that can cause health problems for everyone is between 201 and 300.

McMullen said air quality is typically worse in the morning and improves as the day progresses.

On Thursday, the air quality index hit its peak at 10 a.m. when it reached 211. By noon, it had dipped to 171.

The hazy of smoke enveloping the region is the result of of the worst wildfire season in Canada on record, with some 29,000 square miles being affected, Reuters reported.

The ongoing wildfires caused pollution problems locally and elsewhere earlier this month. The problems returned Wednesday throughout the Great Lakes region and in parts of the central and eastern United States, according to The Associated Press.

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center Inc. reported on an interactive map that there were 480 active fires as of Wednesday afternoon, 239 of which were out of control.