Current Conditions as of 1 PM on Tuesday: Wildfire smoke has moved overhead from fires in Canada which has degraded the air quality across the region. Concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM-2.5) remain elevated while the smoke/haze has limited ozone formation under otherwise mostly sunny skies. *** Wednesday’s Forecast: An area of low pressure centered close to Maine/Nova Scotia with high pressure to the northwest will continue the northerly flow on Wednesday. This northerly flow will bring more waves of wildfire smoke into the region over the course of the day. With the wildfires to the north continuing to be fueled by dry conditions with breezy winds, the threat of periods of elevated concentrations of PM-2.5 close to the surface will remain. An Air Quality Action Day will be declared once again for Wednesday due to the risk of hours with higher concentrations being observed. Areas where the thicker plumes manage to miss will see concentrations in the higher end of the moderate range on average for the day. With the smoke causing hazy conditions, ozone formation will again be limited. Locations with a lower density of smoke overhead will see higher amounts of sunshine reaching the surface which may allow for moderate levels of ozone concentrations to be observed. *** Extended Outlook: Similar conditions may continue Thursday so transport of the wildfire smoke with the northerly flow will continue to be monitored. At a minimum, moderate air quality is expected for both PM-2.5 and ozone concentrations. The area of low pressure will finally begin to be pushed eastward on Friday. This may not end the threat for periods of elevated concentrations due to the smoke for Friday but may at least begin a transition to an improvement in air quality conditions for the weekend. Some much-needed rainfall may even arrive for the second half of the weekend. – |
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