Wildfire smoke pouring into Mid-Atlantic prompts air quality alert for D.C. and Baltimore.

Air quality is expected to improve by Thursday as a cold front pushes most of the smoke away.

Smoke from wildfires in the western United States and southern Canada is spilling into the Eastern United States and is thick enough and low enough to the ground to foul air quality.

Both Washington and Baltimore are among several major cities in the eastern United States from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast under air quality alerts Wednesday. They join Philadelphia, New York City and Boston, among others.

Washington and Baltimore have code orange air quality alerts on Wednesday, which means the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children, older adults and people with respiratory conditions, including asthma. “The effects of air pollution can be minimized by avoiding strenuous activity or exercise outdoors,” stated the National Weather Service alert.

In its air quality discussion, the Maryland Department of the Environment said the smoke will increase fine particulates in the air, which can be harmful to breathe in high concentrations, particularly for sensitive groups. The highest concentrations are predicted during the morning and early afternoon Wednesday before a front arrives that helps clear the air some.

Behind the front, winds from the north will push the smoke away Thursday and Friday. “A much cleaner air mass will move into the region, although some diffuse smoke may still linger for a period of time,” the Maryland Department of Environment wrote. . .

The Big Apple observed its worst air quality in 14 years, with the particle pollution reaching code red levels, signaling unhealthy air for the general population. The smoky haze was so dense it lowered visibility.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/07/20/wildfire-smoke-air-quality-dc/?