SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — Air quality across Northeastern Pennsylvania improved noticeably Friday morning after reaching some of the worst levels seen in years a day earlier, but smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to blanket the region and health officials warn unhealthy conditions could linger into the weekend.

At 8 a.m. Friday, AirNow reported most communities in Northeastern and Northcentral Pennsylvania remained in the Unhealthy category, although nearly every location showed significant improvement compared with Thursday afternoon’s peak.

The highest reading in the region Friday morning was 195 in Pottsville, followed by 181 in Jim Thorpe. Many other communities, including Towanda, Sayre, Honesdale, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Montrose and Laporte, were clustered between 167 and 168.

Friday morning AQI readings included:

Pottsville: 195Jim Thorpe: 181Towanda: 168Sayre: 168Laporte: 168Honesdale: 167Scranton: 167Wilkes-Barre: 167Montrose: 167Stroudsburg: 165Milford: 165Tunkhannock: 162Lock Haven: 157Bloomsburg: 157Williamsport: 157Danville: 157Sunbury: 157Middleburg: 157Lewisburg: 157Much better than Thursday—but still unhealthy

The improvement follows a dramatic deterioration Thursday afternoon, when parts of the region reached Very Unhealthy air quality.

At 2 p.m. Thursday, AirNow reported AQIs of:

290 in Towanda, Sayre and Laporte253 in Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, Williamsport, Danville, Sunbury, Middleburg and Lewisburg226 in Tunkhannock214 in Jim Thorpe207 in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Honesdale

Those readings represented decreases of 80 to more than 130 AQI points across many communities by Friday morning.

Still one of the worst smoke events since 2023

Even with Friday’s improvement, this week’s wildfire smoke remains one of the most significant air quality events Pennsylvania has experienced since the historic Canadian wildfire outbreak of June 2023.

During that event, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre reporting area peaked at a daily AQI of 268, while the Susquehanna Valley reached 285. Some locations in eastern Pennsylvania briefly exceeded 300 AQI, entering the Hazardous category.

Thursday’s peak AQI of 290 in Towanda, Sayre and Laporte slightly exceeded the Susquehanna Valley’s official 2023 peak, while Scranton and Wilkes-Barre reached 207, remaining below their 2023 high but still firmly in the Very Unhealthy range.

Statewide alerts continue

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection declared a statewide Code Red Air Quality Action Day for Thursday because of elevated fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke. Conditions have since prompted DEP to upgrade Friday to a statewide Code Purple Air Quality Alert, the agency’s second-highest alert level.

During a Code Purple alert, everyone is advised to avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity, while children, older adults and people with heart or lung disease should avoid outdoor activities whenever possible.

Weekend outlook

The smoky conditions come as Northeastern Pennsylvania prepares for a busy weekend that includes the FIFA World Cup Fan Zone in downtown Scranton, where large crowds are expected for the third-place match Saturday and the World Cup final Sunday.

Forecasts suggest smoke may continue to affect the region into Saturday before a cold front and the potential for showers and thunderstorms help improve air quality later in the weekend. However, forecasters caution that smoke forecasts can change quickly depending on wind direction and the movement of the wildfire plume.

Anyone planning to attend outdoor events this weekend should check AirNow.gov before heading outside and consider limiting prolonged physical activity if air quality remains in the unhealthy range.