Wildfire Smoke From Canada Prompts Code Red Air Quality Alert In Bucks

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a statewide Code Red Air Quality alert for today.

Wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota began pushing into Pennsylvania's southern and eastern counties on Wednesday, creating Code Red concentrations of PM2.5.

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Unhealthy Code Red concentrations of PM2.5 will occur throughout the day on Thursday, with some hours of very unhealthy Code Purple concentrations possible, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Light winds associated with weak high pressure moving in from the north will act to trap pollutants near the surface keeping air quality in an unhealthy range, the DEP says.

Additionally, a statewide Code Orange alert for PM2.5 is forecast for Friday.

During Code Red Air Quality Alerts, residents should consider limiting their outdoor activities, and sensitive groups such as children, elderly residents, and those with respiratory illnesses should avoid long or intense outdoor activities and consider moving activities indoors.

Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Alert areas are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce fine particulate matter air pollution by:

• Avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment;
• Reducing or eliminating fireplace and wood stove use; and
• Avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash, and other materials.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) 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 Alert is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher.