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.
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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.