Wildfire smoke reducing air quality across Massachusetts
THIS EXTENT JUST YET, BUT THERE ARE SO MANY FIRES BURNING IN CANADA. THIS MAP SHOWS YOU WHERE THE ACTIVE, LARGE WILDFIRES ARE BURNING RIGHT today. AND IN CANADA ALONE, THERE ARE 742 FIRES BURNING RIGHT today AND ALL. OBVIOUSLY, THAT SMOKE HAS TO GO SOMEWHERE IN THE UPPER LEVEL. WINDS CAN KIND OF CARRY IT IN OUR DIRECTION, AND THEY ARE DOING THAT today. AND WE HAD A LOT OF THICKER SMOKE UP ACROSS NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND OVER THE WEEKEND. BUT today YOU CAN SEE THAT SMOKE PLUME HAS DRIFTED SOUTH AND YOU CAN CLEARLY MAKE OUT THIS GRAYISH WHITE COLOR RIGHT HERE. THOSE AREN’T CLOUDS. THAT IS THE WILDFIRE SMOKE. THE CLOUDS LOOK VERY DIFFERENT ON THE SATELLITE IMAGERY. SO YOU CAN DISCERN BETWEEN THE TWO. AND IT IS THAT WILDFIRE SMOKE THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH RIGHT today. AND THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN WORCESTER. THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN BOSTON. SO CERTAINLY IT IS NOT JUST ALOFT TODAY. IT IS MADE SOME OF ITS WAY DOWN TO GROUND LEVEL. AND THAT IS WHY IT IS IMPACTING THE AIR QUALITY TODAY. AND WE HAVE THAT AIR QUALITY ALERT, AS YOU HEARD, UNTIL MIDNIGHT. FOR THOSE THAT ARE UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS. SO IF YOU HAVE THE SENSITIVITIES WITH ASTHMA AND ISSUES LIKE THAT, THAT’S THAT’S WHEN YOU WANT TO LIMIT YOUR TIME OUTDOORS, AS YOU HEARD DOCTOR ELLERIN SAY. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT SMOKE PLUME IS THICKEST OVER US RIGHT today. THAT THICK SMOKE INDICATED HERE BY THE ORANGE COLOR. LOOK WHAT HAPPENS AS WE HEAD INTO THIS EVENING. NOT MUCH. IT’S WITH US. RIGHT? AND THEN AS WE GET INTO THE DAY TOMORROW, THAT COLOR CHANGES. IT’S GOING OVER TOWARD THE YELLOW, WHICH IS TELLING YOU THAT THE SMOKE IS NOT GOING TO BE QUITE AS THICK TOMORROW. AND THAT’S GOING TO BE THE CASE ON INTO WEDNESDAY AS WELL. SO IT’S STILL GOING TO BE AROUND TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY, BUT IT’S GOING TO BE A LITTLE THINNER AND MORE ALOFT. SO IT’S NOT GOING TO HAVE AS MUCH OF AN IMPACT ON AIR QUALITY. SO TODAY IS THE WORST OF IT. BUT THIS WILDFIRE SMOKE ISN’T REALLY GOING TO GET CLEARED OUT OF OUR SKIES ANYTIME SOON. SO WE ARE GOING TO offer WITH THAT FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. IT IS MAINLY A DRY WEEK AHEAD THOUGH, AND TODAY IS THE HOTTEST DAY. IT IS GOING TO TURN MORE SEASONABLE AS WE GET TOWARD THE REST OF THE WEEK. SO WE’RE SITTING RIGHT today IN THE 70S AND LOWER 80S, BUT BOSTON ISN’T GOING TO GET MUCH HIGHER THAN 80 DEGREES BECAUSE OF THE WIND. IT IS TURNING ONSHORE WITH THE SEA BREEZE THIS AFTERNOON, AND THAT IS GOING TO KEEP NOT ONLY BOSTON, BUT A LOT OF THE COAST HOLDING IN THE UPPER 70S CAPE COD, UP TOWARD CAPE ANN. YOU GET UP TO BEVERLEY AND MANAGE THE LOWER 80S. IT’S INLAND THAT WE’RE TALKING UPPER 80S CLOSE TO 90 DEGREES TODAY. AND IF WE DIDN’T HAVE ANY OF THIS SMOKE AND HAZE IN OUR SKIES, TEMPERATURES LIKELY WOULD BE A COUPLE OF DEGREES WARMER, BUT STILL, PUSHING THAT 90 DEGREE MARK OVER SOME INLAND LOCATIONS TODAY, THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE THE CASE TOMORROW, BECAUSE THIS FRONT IS GOING TO DROP SOUTH AND TURN OUR WINDS TO THE NORTHEAST, AND THAT NORTHEASTERLY WIND AT THE SURFACE IS ACTUALLY GOING TO HELP TO KIND OF PUSH AWAY SOME OF THAT SMOKE. BUT YOU CAN SEE THE DEW POINT TEMPERATURES. THEY ARE RUNNING IN THE LOWER 60S RIGHT today. AND THAT’S ABOUT WHERE THEY’RE GOING TO STAY THIS WEEK. SO WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF HUMIDITY THIS WEEK. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES, PRETTY TOLERABLE LEVELS OF HUMIDITY. IT’S AUGUST. YOU EXPECT IT TO BE A LITTLE BIT STICKY AND IT WILL BE JUST A LITTLE BIT STICKY THIS WEEK. SO THAT MEANS OUR OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES HOLD IN THE UPPER 50S AND LOWER 60S. THERE WILL BE SOME INCREASING CLOUDS AS WE GO FROM THE OVERNIGHT HOURS INTO TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW IS JUST A PARTLY SUNNY DAY. 1 OR 2 ISOLATED SHOWERS MAY KIND OF POP UP OUT IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE STATE, BUT YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE OUT THAT WAY TO SEE ANYTHING. OTHERWISE, JUST A LITTLE BIT COOLER TOMORROW WITH THE NORTHEASTERLY WIND. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HIGH TEMPERATURES TOMORROW. 70 AT THE COAST, AROUND OR JUST OVER 80 INLAND. AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS FRONT, HIGH PRESSURE IS BUILDING ON IN. AND IT’S GOING TO GIVE US MAINLY DRY WEATHER HERE FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. SO OUTSIDE OF THE WESTERN PART OF THE STATE, EXPECT DRY WEATHER. THERE IS A TROPICAL STORM. THIS IS DEXTER OFF THE EASTERN SEABOARD. IT’S STAYING OUT TO SEA. NOT GOING TO BOTHER ANYONE, BUT THERE ARE A COUPLE OTHER AREAS WE’RE WATCHING. ONE OFF THE COAST OF THE EASTERN SEABOARD AND ANOTHER ONE COMING OFF OF AFRICA. THAT WAVE HAS A 50% CHANCE OF DEVELOPING INTO SOMETHING TROPICAL HERE IN THE NEXT WEEK. SO STARTING TO movie THE TROPICS GET A LITTLE BIT MORE ACTIVE. BUT FOR US,
An air quality alert is in effect for much of Massachusetts on Monday due to Canadian wildfire smoke. People with respiratory issues will want to limit their time outdoors for the next few days. Info: Alerts | Futurecast”The wildfire smoke has been aloft, drifting south, and some of that is going to make it to closer to ground level, which has prompted air quality alerts,” StormTeam 5 Chief Meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon said. “The upper-level winds have shifted it into our area, and there is nothing to kick it out, so for the next couple of days, we are going to contend with this haziness at times.”The alert is in effect until midnight, according to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.”During the day (Tuesday), that smoke is going to get pushed toward the west by an increasing northeasterly winds. So we are in the worst of this (Monday), unhealthy air quality. It goes moderate (Tuesday), moderate on Wednesday as well. So we are expecting some improvements,” Fitzgibbon said.An air quality alert means that fine particulates concentrations within the region may approach or exceed levels that are unhealthy for sensitive children and adults, such as those with asthma or lung or heart disease and older adults. Sensitive children and adults should limit prolonged outdoor activity.”So what that means is really that people with those underlying medical conditions — asthma, chronic lung, chronic heart — ideally you want to stay inside. But if you go outdoors you want to really reduce the amount of time outdoors. You want to make sure you take more breaks. You want to try to avoid those strenuous activities,” Dr. Todd Ellerin of South Shore Health said. “If you’re indoors, you want to close the windows. It’s sort of common sense things.”
An air quality alert is in effect for much of Massachusetts on Monday due to Canadian wildfire smoke. People with respiratory issues will want to limit their time outdoors for the next few days.
Info: Alerts | Futurecast
“The wildfire smoke has been aloft, drifting south, and some of that is going to make it to closer to ground level, which has prompted air quality alerts,” StormTeam 5 Chief Meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon said. “The upper-level winds have shifted it into our area, and there is nothing to kick it out, so for the next couple of days, we are going to contend with this haziness at times.”
The alert is in effect until midnight, according to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
“During the day (Tuesday), that smoke is going to get pushed toward the west by an increasing northeasterly winds. So we are in the worst of this (Monday), unhealthy air quality. It goes moderate (Tuesday), moderate on Wednesday as well. So we are expecting some improvements,” Fitzgibbon said.
An air quality alert means that fine particulates concentrations within the region may approach or exceed levels that are unhealthy for sensitive children and adults, such as those with asthma or lung or heart disease and older adults.
Sensitive children and adults should limit prolonged outdoor activity.
“So what that means is really that people with those underlying medical conditions — asthma, chronic lung, chronic heart — ideally you want to stay inside. But if you go outdoors you want to really reduce the amount of time outdoors. You want to make sure you take more breaks. You want to try to avoid those strenuous activities,” Dr. Todd Ellerin of South Shore Health said. “If you’re indoors, you want to close the windows. It’s sort of common sense things.”
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