Poor air quality conditions continue in Northeast as stubborn smoke lingers into weekend
There was mild improvement along the Northeast's I-95 corridor Saturday morning, but as of late Saturday afternoon, millions of Americans remain under air quality alerts due to the wildfire smoke.
Air quality concerns lingering for Northeast over Fourth of July weekend
There was mild improvement along the Northeast's I-95 corridor Saturday morning, but as of late Saturday afternoon, millions of Americans remain under air quality alerts due to the wildfire smoke. July 1, 2023.
Relief from thick wildfire smoke burning in Canada and smothering major U.S. cities may be in sight for some as the Fourth of July holiday weekend gets underway.
Winds carried the smoke south into the Great Lakes and Midwest earlier this week, but spread out into the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley, and even into parts of the Southeast toward the end of the week, the FOX Forecast Center said.
![The smoke-covered skyline in Atlanta on Friday, June 30, 2023.]()
Image 1 of 7The smoke-covered skyline in Atlanta on Friday, June 30, 2023. (Billy Heath)
![Smoke from the Canadian wildfires has descended on the region, on June 29 in Washington, DC.]()
Image 2 of 7WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 29: The Capitol dome is a hazy shape as seen from Maryland avenue in SW as smoke from the Canadian wildfires descends on the region in Washington, DC. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)
![Canada wildfire smoke worsens air quality in New York City]()
Image 3 of 7A view of the city as smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds sky on June 30, 2023 in New York City. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency)
![Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Creates Hazy Conditions Over New York City NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 30: Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds the Statue of Liberty on June 30, 2023 in New York City. The eastern U.S. is once again experiencing air quality concerns as smoke from Canadian wildfires billows south with New York City's air quality index reaching 162 in many places. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)]()
Image 4 of 7Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds the Statue of Liberty on June 30, 2023 in New York City. (David Dee Delgado)
![Smokey Sunrise in New York City]()
Image 5 of 7JERSEY CITY, NJ - JUNE 30: The sun rises as smoke shrouds the skyline of lower Manhattan, One World Trade Center, and the Statue of Liberty in New York City on June 30, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Gary Hershorn)
![The sunrise tinted with wildfire smoke in Albany, New York.]()
Image 6 of 7The sunrise tinted with wildfire smoke in Albany, New York. (@NYCRobyn/Twitter)
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Image 7 of 7NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 29: Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds the sun as it sets above 42nd Street on June 29, 2023, in New York City. (Gary Hershorn)
As of late Saturday afternoon, millions of Americans remain under air quality alerts due to the wildfire smoke.
Northeast cities with the worst Air Quality Index (AQI) readings Saturday afternoon included Bridgeport and Stratford in Connecticut and Springfield in Massachusetts.
Each of these cities had an AQI reading above 150, meaning "unhealthy," the third-worst reading on the AQI index.
(FOX Weather)
There was mild improvement along the Northeast's I-95 corridor Saturday morning, with AQI levels dropping below 150 around New York City, Philadelphia and Washington areas.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, however, smoke is still hanging over the Northeast and will continue to reduce air quality heading into the holiday.
AIR QUALITY TRACKER: HOW BAD IS THE SMOKY AIR IN YOUR AREA?
(FOX Weather)
In the Northeast, air quality alerts remain for eastern New York as well as Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The entire state of Michigan and the Atlanta area also remain under an air quality alert through Saturday night.
WHAT TO DO WHEN WILDFIRE SMOKE SMOTHERS YOUR AREA, AND HOW TO KEEP YOUR HOME'S AIR CLEAN
Until air quality alerts are lifted, health experts warned individuals in unhealthy air quality levels to limit their outdoor activity to reduce the effects of the toxic air.
(FOX Weather)
While air quality remains unhealthy in some areas, conditions are expected to improve gradually in the coming days as the smoke disperses.
The map below is tracking the wildfire smoke. By Sunday morning, much of the Great Lakes will experience much clearer, more smoke-free skies, while smokier skies will linger along the Atlantic coastline though at much less concentrated levels than earlier this week.
(FOX Weather)
The week of poor air quality began in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes area, where cities like Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit found their skylines obscured by thick wildfire smoke.
Wildfire smoke clouds the skyline on June 28, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago area is under an air quality alert as smoke from Canadian wildfires has covered the city for a second straight day.
(Scott Olson / Getty Images)
Air quality significantly improved earlier this week across much of Illinois south of Chicago after Thursday’s ferocious winds associated with a derecho cleaned out the atmosphere.
The winds didn't reach Cleveland, which woke to smoky skies Friday, where air quality alerts remained in place across northeast Ohio. Yet sky conditions were much improved in Ohio as the weekend began.