Posted on 06/09/23
| News Source: Pikesville Patch
Air quality is slowing improving in Maryland, with residents beginning the day mainly with moderate quality, with more Code Orange readings expected as the day progresses and smoke filters in from Canada's wildfires.
Residents who went outside after sunrise Friday morning noticed clearer skies, but as the day progresses, much of the Baltimore-D.C. area, along with the Eastern Shore, will come under a Code Orange alert. That's when people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens need to choose less strenuous activities outside or shorten the amount of time they spend outside, according to AirNow.gov.
A Code Orange air quality alert is in place Friday for the Baltimore City metro and Annapolis
region.
Counties and cities included are: Baltimore, Cecil, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, Charles, St. Marys, Calvert, Allegany, Montgomery, Howard, and Harford counties, plus Hagerstown, Frederick, Eldersburg, Westminster, Reisterstown, Cockeysville, Elkton, Baltimore, Bowie, College Park, Greenbelt, Laurel, Glen Burnie, Annapolis, Severn, Severna Park, Arnold, Odenton, Waldorf, Chesapeake Beach, Lusby, Frostburg, Cumberland, Germantown, Damascus, Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, Lisbon, Columbia, Ellicott City, Jarrettsville and Aberdeen.
Smoke from millions of acres burning in eastern Canadian wildfires is lingering over the East Coast, and is prevalent in the Mid-Atlantic region, making it difficult to breathe at times and making the sky hazy. Winds from the northwest will continue to push the smoke south over Maryland, resulting in poor air quality and visibility potentially less than 2 miles at times, the National Weather Service said Friday.
The worst conditions are most likely through Friday morning east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with some improvement likely Friday afternoon, forecasters said. The forecast for Friday is for a Code Orange for most places east of the Blue Ridge Mountains including the Washington and Baltimore metropolitan areas.
The Maryland Department of the Environment issued a Code Orange alert for fine particulates for 20 of the state's 23 counties. Only the three westernmost Maryland counties are exempt from the alert.
To see the current quality in your city or county check AirNow.gov.
Air quality alerts are triggered by a number of factors, including the detection of high levels of fine-particle pollution — known as "PM 2.5" — which can irritate the lungs.
The AQI scale is as follows:
Here's a look at the air quality in some Maryland cities at 8:30 a.m. Friday:
"Where rain occurs Friday, precipitation will scour fine particles from the atmosphere, greatly improving air quality locally," the Department of the Environment said. "A general cleaning trend will occur into Shabbos, with moderate air quality expected."
"Computer modeling suggests the thickest smoke may remain north and east of the immediate area today, but we can’t rule out some sneaking in at times," The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang reported Friday morning. "On balance, though, the worst has passed."
Later Friday, there's a chance of rain showers or storms that could help clear the air. "Even with minimal raindrops, a wind from the west should help push the thicker stuff out," the Capital Weather Gang said.
Here's the Maryland weekend forecast:
Friday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Widespread haze before noon. Increasing clouds, with a high near 77. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Friday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 61. West wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Shabbos: Sunny, with a high near 86. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph.
Shabbos Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Light southwest wind becoming south 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: A slight chance of showers after 3am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Chance of precipitation is 20%.