Wildfire smoke drifting over the Washington, D.C., area is making the skies look hazy and negatively affecting air quality.
The air quality index is code yellow, or moderate, in D.C. and surrounding areas in Virginia and Maryland on Thursday, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG).
You can check the air quality in your part of the D.C. area using the interactive map below.
Moderate air quality could be a risk for people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution, according to Airnow.gov. Sensitive groups, which may include children and elderly adults, or people with asthma and other chronic respiratory conditions, can limit outdoor activity to prevent symptoms. Here’s a closer look at what air quality alerts mean for you.
Storm Team4 Meteorologist Lauryn Ricketts said you may see “a little bit of milkiness out there from wildfire smoke” on Thursday. Otherwise, the weather will be warm and dry. Here’s the forecast.
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) said air quality concerns and hazy skies are expected to remain through Thursday.
“By Friday, the bulk of the smoke plume will likely be through the area,” MDE said.
Millions of people across the Upper Midwest and the Northeast were under air quality alerts this week as smoke billowed from more than 200 wildfires burning out of control in Canada, NBC News reported.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
