{"id":244740,"date":"2026-07-16T11:01:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/244740\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T11:01:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:01:10","slug":"code-red-air-quality-alert-in-effect-for-pa-as-canadian-wildfires-create-hazy-skies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/244740\/","title":{"rendered":"Code Red air quality alert in effect for Pa. as Canadian wildfires create hazy skies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tA Code Red air quality alert is in effect for south-central Pennsylvania on Thursday as thick wildfire smoke moves into the region, creating unhealthy conditions, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The WGAL News 8 Storm Team has declared Thursday an Impact Day, meaning the weather is likely to disrupt your normal daily schedule or routine. Canadian wildfire smoke Smoke from wildfires burning in southern Ontario and northern Minnesota is spreading across the Great Lakes and Northeast. That smoke is concentrated near the surface, making air quality especially poor across central and southeastern Pennsylvania. Below: Near-surface smoke forecast in south-central PennsylvaniaThe smoke is expected to create hazy skies and reduce sunshine, keeping temperatures slightly lower than they otherwise would be, though conditions will still be hot and humid. Code Red in effect Thursday A Code Red alert means air pollution has reached levels considered unhealthy for everyone, not just sensitive groups. The alert covers the entire Susquehanna Valley for Thursday. Officials warn the smoky air can cause:Itchy or burning eyesCoughingDifficulty breathingWorsening symptoms for people with asthma or other respiratory conditionsResidents are being urged to limit outdoor exercise and avoid strenuous activity outside while the alert remains in effect. The last Code Red air quality alert issued for the region was in June 2023. Thursday\u2019s high is expected to reach about 92 degrees, with humidity making it feel like the mid- to upper 90s. No heat alerts are in effect. Conditions linger Friday, Code Orange issuedLittle improvement is expected by Friday, when a Code Orange air quality alert is in effect. That means air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Conditions could still worsen, and the alert may be upgraded to Code Red if smoke concentrations remain high. Friday\u2019s high is expected to be near 90 degrees. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible Saturday, which could help improve air quality heading into the weekend. Safety precautionsHealth officials recommend that residents, especially children, older adults and those with heart or lung disease, take precautions during smoky conditions.Recommended steps include:Limit time outdoorsAvoid strenuous outdoor activityKeep windows closed if possibleUse air conditioning on recirculateMonitor symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breathCheck local air quality sensors and forecasts before going outsideThe WGAL News 8 Storm Team will continue to monitor the forecast and provide updates as they become available. Check live conditions around the Valley\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

A Code Red air quality alert is in effect for south-central Pennsylvania on Thursday as thick wildfire smoke moves into the region, creating unhealthy conditions, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. <\/p>\n

The WGAL News 8 Storm Team has declared Thursday an Impact Day, meaning the weather is likely to disrupt your normal daily schedule or routine. <\/p>\n

\t\t\"weather<\/p>\n

Canadian wildfire smoke <\/p>\n

Smoke from wildfires burning in southern Ontario and northern Minnesota is spreading across the Great Lakes and Northeast. <\/p>\n

That smoke is concentrated near the surface, making air quality especially poor across central and southeastern Pennsylvania. <\/p>\n

Below: Near-surface smoke forecast in south-central Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The smoke is expected to create hazy skies and reduce sunshine, keeping temperatures slightly lower than they otherwise would be, though conditions will still be hot and humid. <\/p>\n

\t\t\"weather<\/p>\n

Code Red in effect Thursday <\/p>\n

A Code Red alert means air pollution has reached levels considered unhealthy for everyone, not just sensitive groups. The alert covers the entire Susquehanna Valley for Thursday. <\/p>\n

\t\t\"weather<\/p>\n

\t\t\"weather<\/p>\n

Officials warn the smoky air can cause:<\/p>\n

Itchy or burning eyesCoughingDifficulty breathingWorsening symptoms for people with asthma or other respiratory conditions<\/p>\n

Residents are being urged to limit outdoor exercise and avoid strenuous activity outside while the alert remains in effect. <\/p>\n

The last Code Red air quality alert issued for the region was in June 2023. <\/p>\n

Thursday\u2019s high is expected to reach about 92 degrees, with humidity making it feel like the mid- to upper 90s. No heat alerts are in effect. <\/p>\n

\t\t\"weather<\/p>\n

Conditions linger Friday, Code Orange issued<\/p>\n

Little improvement is expected by Friday, when a Code Orange air quality alert is in effect. That means air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups. <\/p>\n

Conditions could still worsen, and the alert may be upgraded to Code Red if smoke concentrations remain high. <\/p>\n

\t\t\"weather<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s high is expected to be near 90 degrees. <\/p>\n

Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible Saturday, which could help improve air quality heading into the weekend. <\/p>\n

\t\t\"weather<\/p>\n

Safety precautions<\/p>\n

Health officials recommend that residents, especially children, older adults and those with heart or lung disease, take precautions during smoky conditions.<\/p>\n

Recommended steps include:<\/p>\n

Limit time outdoorsAvoid strenuous outdoor activityKeep windows closed if possibleUse air conditioning on recirculateMonitor symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breathCheck local air quality sensors and forecasts before going outside<\/p>\n

\t\t\"weather<\/p>\n

The WGAL News 8 Storm Team will continue to monitor the forecast and provide updates as they become available. <\/p>\n

Check live conditions around the Valley<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Code Red air quality alert is in effect for south-central Pennsylvania on Thursday as thick wildfire smoke…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":244741,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[16389,48747,17452,2816,7020,1788,4327,104454,104619,28,30,29,30289,6664,2811,50288,3522,3573],"class_list":["post-244740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-alert","tag-canadian","tag-condition","tag-degree","tag-effect","tag-forecast","tag-friday","tag-hazy-sky","tag-lung-disease","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news","tag-sensitive-group","tag-smoke","tag-storm-team","tag-symptom","tag-thursday","tag-wgal-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}