All Of MA Under Air Quality Alert Due To Wildfire Smoke: NWS

MASSACHUSETTS — Wildfire smoke from fires burning in Canada will cover Massachusetts on Tuesday, and has prompted the state to issue an air quality warning for sensitive groups, according to MassDEP.

Smoke will begin moving into western Massachusetts on Monday afternoon, but will reach the eastern half of the state early Tuesday morning. The smoke will linger into the evening hours, and may worsen as the day goes on.

"An increased risk for fine particulates from smoke caused by increased wildfire activity in eastern Canada has prompted ... air quality alerts for Tuesday for all of CT, RI & MA," the weather service said in a tweet Monday afternoon.

As of Tuesday morning, air quality as far east as Worcester had dropped from "good" to "moderate," according to the state's air quality monitoring stations. The air quality warning will be in effect until midnight Tuesday.

Fires burning in Quebec are behind the smoke. Smoke was also been seen across the state in May due to fires burning in Alberta and Nova Scotia. Canada is experiencing an uptick in fires this spring — close to 8 million acres have already burned. Quebec is having a particularly bad season with about 400 fires reported so far this year compared to the average of about 200 by this time, according to the CBC.

The state Department of Environmental Protection last issued an air quality alert on Thursday when smoke from fires burning in Nova Scotia swept across the state. That alert only covered Essex, Suffolk and Eastern Norfolk Counties.

MassDEP is advising that people in sensitive groups should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion, take more breaks, do less intense activities, follow asthma action plans, and keep quick relief medicine handy. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath," the air quality warning said.