Latest news with #sensitivegroups
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Climate
- Bloomberg
New York Is Set to Swelter, Promoting Electricity and Transit Concerns
By and Naureen S Malik Save New York City and the eastern US will sweat through another round of hot and sticky weather Wednesday and Thursday, a forecast that has prompted an emergency alert from the nation's largest power grid. In Manhattan's Central Park, Wednesday's high is forecast to reach 88F (31C), but when humidity is factored it will feel closer to 95F. That's enough for the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory there, as well as for Philadelphia and Boston. Air quality in New York is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Air quality alert issued across Southern California due to smoke from fireworks and wildfires
A regional air quality alert was issued for much of Southern California as harmful levels of fine particle pollution spread across the region following Fourth of July fireworks and active wildfires in nearby mountain areas. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) announced the alert on Friday, July 4, warning that elevated pollution levels would persist through Saturday night, July 5, due to smoke from Independence Day celebrations and wildfires in parts of Los Angeles County and beyond. The alert applied to most of Los Angeles and Orange Counties, the Inland Empire, Santa Clarita, and the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains. Officials said pollution levels could vary by time and location depending on emissions and local weather conditions. Smoke from fireworks was expected to affect the region from 5:00 p.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. Saturday. Wildfire smoke in mountain areas was projected to impact air quality from midnight Friday through 10:00 p.m. Saturday. Health officials warned that fine particle pollution can penetrate deep into the lungs and may lead to serious health problems, including asthma attacks, bronchitis, heart attacks, and difficulty breathing. While anyone can be affected, sensitive groups are at higher risk. Residents were urged to monitor the Air Quality Index (AQI) and adjust their activities accordingly: When AQI reaches the 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups' (orange) level, vulnerable individuals should limit prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity. At the 'Unhealthy' (red) level, everyone may experience health effects, and sensitive groups should avoid extended time outdoors. When levels are 'Very Unhealthy' (purple), sensitive groups should avoid all outdoor activity, and others should limit outdoor exposure. At the 'Hazardous' (maroon) level, all individuals are advised to stay indoors and avoid outdoor physical activity entirely. To reduce indoor exposure, officials recommended keeping windows and doors closed, using air conditioners or air purifiers, and avoiding the use of fireplaces, candles, incense, or gasoline-powered equipment. If possible, residents should avoid using swamp coolers or whole house fans that draw in outside air. Residents in the Los Angeles Basin, San Bernardino Valley, San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, Orange County, and Riverside County can check real-time air quality levels and forecasts by visiting the South Coast AQMD website at or by downloading the mobile app at For those in the Antelope Valley, updates are available at In the Mojave Desert, current conditions and advisories can be found at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
09-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Canadian wildfire smoke is affecting air quality in Boston. Here's when it will improve.
The air quality in Boston over the last few days hasn't been great, and you may have noticed a foul smell or slight haze in the air. This is a combination of low-level ozone and wildfire smoke making its way through New England on Monday, which leads to that hazy sky and the decreased air quality index. Most of the air quality monitoring stations in our area are showing as "yellow," which corresponds to moderately unhealthy air. This is not enough for any real cause for concern, and there are not currently any air quality alerts in southern New England. There have been a few stations with levels slightly higher than moderate, tipping into the "unhealthy for sensitive groups, " which means older adults, children, people with disabilities, and those with heart or lung disease should avoid outdoor activities, according to the EPA. WBZ-TV weather graphic. CBS Boston Why is the air quality bad in Massachusetts? Again, the reason for this is twofold. First, there is some low-level ozone present on Monday. Second, and more importantly, some of the wildfire smoke from the ongoing Canadian fires continues to spill into New England. This will come and go depending on the wind direction at both upper and lower levels of the atmosphere throughout the next few weeks and perhaps the rest of the summer, should the wildfires continue. The Canadian wildfire season typically spans from May to September. WBZ-TV weather graphic. CBS Boston When will the air quality improve? Luckily, the smoke levels are forecasted to drop off significantly later in the day on Monday and on Tuesday. WBZ-TV weather graphic. CBS Boston We expect the air quality levels to improve and largely be in the "good" or "green" category by Tuesday.
New York Times
30-05-2025
- Climate
- New York Times
Smoke From Wildfires in Canada Wafts Into the Upper Midwest
Smoke from wildfires in Canada has begun drifting across the border into the United States, raising concerns on Friday about possible health hazards in the Upper Midwest, the authorities said. Warnings about poor air quality were issued in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota along with advisories for people in certain groups to curtail outdoor activity. In Michigan, meteorologists at the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy said on Friday that the levels of fine particulate in the air would be elevated in the state through Saturday morning. People in sensitive groups, defined as those with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, pregnant people and outdoor workers, who may be more susceptible to the smoke, were advised to take precautions, such as adjusting outdoor activity. Particulates are small specks of soot, ash and dust that are picked up by winds and flow hundreds of miles across borders and state lines. In Canada, wildfire season typically runs from March until October. In Western Canada, fire activity normally sees an uptick in May. The season got off to a grim start earlier this month when two people were killed in the province of Manitoba as a wildfire raged, forcing the evacuation of an entire town. This week in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, neighboring provinces in Canada's prairies, dozens of wildfires spread out-of-control, displacing thousands of residents. A cold front was dragging smoke from the large wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan across the border into Minnesota's northern region and tribal nations. The smoke was generating a reading of red on the air quality index, a standard measurement used by states to track particulate pollution, meaning it is unhealthy for many members of the general public. Air quality in the rest of the state was expected to be orange, or unhealthy especially for sensitive groups, Minnesota's Pollution Control Agency said. 'This will be a long-duration event with multiple rounds of smoke expected,' the agency said. The highest concentration of smoke is expected through Saturday afternoon, before a second round of smoke billows in on Sunday and a third wave arrives on Monday. In Wisconsin, state officials said hazy skies and elevated levels of fine particle pollution from the wildfires were forecast to drift into the northwestern region of the state before thickening and moving south on Friday. The advisory in Wisconsin is set to expire at 6 a.m. on Saturday, the Department of Natural Resources said, but there was a chance that the impacts from the smoke could continue in other areas. It said that there was also the possibility that the alert level on the air quality index could reach orange, or unhealthy for sensitive groups, and possibly red, meaning many more would be affected.
CBS News
12-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Air quality alert issued for Monday for western and central Minnesota
NEXT Weather: 5:30 p.m. forecast from May 11, 2025 NEXT Weather: 5:30 p.m. forecast from May 11, 2025 NEXT Weather: 5:30 p.m. forecast from May 11, 2025 An air quality alert was issued due to ozone for western and central Minnesota, by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The agency says air quality is expected to reach the orange Air Quality Index (AQI) category, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups. The alert takes effect at noon Monday and runs until 9 p.m. According to the MPCA, the affected area includes the Twin Cities metro, Brainerd, Alexandria, Albert Lea, Marshall, Worthington, St. Cloud, Ortonville, Mankato, Bemidji, East Grand Forks, Moorhead, Roseau, and the tribal nations of Upper Sioux, Mille Lacs, Prairie Island, Leech Lake, and Red Lake. The MPCA says ground-level ozone is expected to be highest during the afternoon and early evening hours. It says the mostly sunny skies, warm temperatures and low humidity will create an environment favorable to volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides. They are two types of pollutants and produce ground-level ozone when they react in the air. Ozone is expected to be low in the morning, late evening and overnight. Unhealthy ozone levels can aggravate lung diseases like asthma, emphysema, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The MPCA says people who are more likely to be affected are: People who have asthma or other breathing conditions Children and teenagers People doing extended or heavy physical activity like play sports Everyone is being urged to take precautions. The MPCA recommends people to: Limit, change, or postpone your physical activity. If possible, stay away from local sources of air pollution like busy roads and wood fires. If you have asthma, or other breathing conditions like COPD, make sure you have your relief/rescue inhaler with you.
