These Counties Have NJ's Worst Air Quality Thursday: See When Smoke May Clear

NEW JERSEY — The air is still listed as unhealthy to breathe in every corner of New Jersey on Thursday afternoon, and officials continue to warn children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions to stay indoors.

Smoke from millions of acres burning in eastern Canadian wildfires is lingering above several states on the East Coast this week, making it difficult to breathe and bringing an eerie yellow or gray sky. Smoke will become more dense in the region Thursday night despite a brief period of showers in southern New Jersey in the afternoon, said forecasters.

As of Thursday afternoon, all 21 counties are under an air quality alert. And, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued a Code Red Air Quality Action Day for fine particulates in Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren counties according to the National Weather Service. It lasts until 11:59 p.m. Thursday, and there will be a Code Orange Action Day on Friday.

Related articles:

• Code Red Issued In NJ Over Air Quality, Latest Forecast For Clearing
• When Will The Smoke Clear In NJ? Latest Forecast For Thursday

The highest concentrations of wildfire smoke should wane into Thursday afternoon across New Jersey, the National Weather Service said, though haze and smoke is expected to become more dense into Thursday evening.

A line of showers and thunderstorms will move through both northern and southern New Jersey on Thursday afternoon, and should move off the coast by 3-4 p.m. Gusty winds and some hail are possible in the southern portion of the state, said the NWS.

With the amount of smoke and air pollution in the atmosphere it will be difficult for some sensitive groups (children, the elderly, people with breathing conditions) to do normal activities outside. And, even those adults without lung conditions may feel irritation in their eyes, nose, and throat.

On Friday, levels of particulate matter in the air will still be high enough to impact those in sensitive groups, according to forecasters. Look to the weekend for the first signs of relief, as the NWS said "there should be some reprieve from the smoke through the weekend."

AirNow.gov, which reports air quality using the official U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI), has an updated map of air quality in the U.S.

As of Thursday morning, the site shows that sites in 20 New Jersey counties have a "very unhealthy" level of air pollution. See county-by-county air levels below.

Air quality alerts are triggered by a number of factors, including the detection of high levels of fine-particle pollution — known as "PM 2.5" — which can irritate the lungs.

The AQI scale is as follows:

• Good/green: 0-50
• Moderate/yellow: 51-100
• Unhealthy for sensitive groups/orange: 101-150
• Unhealthy/red: 151-200
• Very unhealthy/purple: 201-300
• Hazardous/maroon: 301-500

Here's a look at the air quality in each New Jersey county at 1:30 p.m. Thursday according to AirNow.gov.

• Atlantic: 193
• Bergen: 172
• Burlington: 170
• Camden: 170
• Cape May: 193
• Cumberland: 173
• Essex: 172
• Gloucester: 170
• Hudson: 172
• Hunterdon: 177
• Mercer: 177
• Middlesex: 177
• Monmouth: 168
• Morris: 177
• Ocean: 168
• Passaic: 172
• Salem: 173
• Somerset: 177
• Sussex: 156
• Union: 172
• Warren: 156

AirNow partners with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Park Service, NASA, Centers for Disease Control, and tribal, state, and local air quality agencies.

Gov. Phil Murphy said he had spoken with Canadian officials, who reported more than 10 million acres burning as of Wednesday night. More than 200 separate fires are burning in the country, and 170 of them are considered “out of control,” Murphy conveyed.

The frequency, extent and severity of wildfires mark important indicators of climate change, environmental officials say. The peak of the nation's wildfire season is also occurring earlier — peaking in August from 1984-2001 and then in July from 2002-20, according to research from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“Climate change is here, and unfortunately that is our new reality,” Murphy said at a press conference Thursday morning.

The governor, speaking alongside state health and environmental officials, said NJ Transit officials will have masks available for customers at the following stations: Newark Penn, Atlantic City, Camden, Trenton, Secaucus, and Hoboken.

State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli also advised caretakers of children with asthma and other respiratory conditions to make sure they have the child's prescribed medication on hand in case of an emergency.

There are approximately 160 wildfires burning across Quebec, part of a wider group of more than 300 fires across the country that some are calling Canada's worst fire season ever.

Quebec's fire prevention agency has said high temperatures and dry conditions have contributed to the raging fire season.

Previous fires in Nova Scotia and Alberta have sent smoke into New Jersey, prompting air quality warnings.

For an exact look at when the smoke might clear, here is the forecast around New Jersey through Saturday from the National Weather Service:

North Jersey

Thursday afternoon
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 5pm. Widespread haze. Areas of smoke. Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Northwest wind around 9 mph.

Thursday night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 8pm. Widespread haze before 2am. Patchy smoke before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Calm wind.

Friday
A chance of showers before 11am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 11am and 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Light north wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday night
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8pm and 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Light northwest wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday
A 20 percent chance of showers after 8am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Central Jersey

Thursday afternoon
Widespread haze after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

Thursday night
A slight chance of showers between 7pm and 10pm. Widespread haze. Patchy smoke between 9pm and 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Friday
A chance of showers before 3pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 3pm and 5pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Widespread haze before 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. North wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday night
Showers and thunderstorms likely before midnight, then a slight chance of showers between midnight and 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.

South Jersey

Thursday afternoon
A slight chance of showers. Widespread haze. Patchy smoke. Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. East wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Thursday night
A slight chance of showers before 9pm. Widespread haze. Patchy smoke before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Southwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Friday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Widespread haze before 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.