The air quality will get worse before it gets better for most of Pennsylvania as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to stream into the region.
Late Thursday afternoon, the state Department of Environmental Protection issued a Code Purple air quality alert for the entire state for Friday. A Code Purple alert means air quality will reach “very unhealthy” levels.
Anyone with respiratory conditions, as well as young children and the elderly, should avoid all physical activity outdoors. The general public should limit their time outdoors and avoid overexertion, according to the DEP. The DEP encourages moving any planned outdoor activities inside.
In addition to limiting time outdoors, people should avoid using any gas-powered lawn and garden equipment and refrain from any open burning of leaves, trash and other materials, the DEP said.
The Code Purple designation follows a Code Red alert for “unhealthy” air quality levels that was issued statewide for Thursday.
Conditions were initially expected to improve by Friday, but on Thursday afternoon, much of eastern Pennsylvania saw air quality indexes around 250, which is solidly in the purple zone.
By Thursday evening, the air quality index in areas, including the Lehigh Valley and Poconos, had already surpassed 300. That is the start of the maroon, or “hazardous” range, meaning everyone is at serious risk.
The worsening conditions came as a second strong smoke plume wafted east toward New York late Thursday afternoon, the Washington Post reported.
It marked the worst air quality in eastern Pennsylvania since early June 2023, when Canadian wildfires also sent smoke into the region. During that episode, the Lehigh Valley measured some of the worst air quality in the nation at the time, with an air quality index around 465.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
As wildfire smoke lingers and air quality worsens, here’s why you should stay indoors