5 MA Counties Under Air Quality Advisories As Wildfire Smoke Returns

WORCESTER, MA — The state Department of Environmental Quality has issued an air quality advisory for parts of Massachusetts on Thursday with Canadian wildfire smoke returning to the Northeast.

The MassDEP advisory for sensitive groups goes into effect at midnight and will last all day Thursday. The advisory covers Worcester, Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties.

"Particle pollution is forecast to be unhealthy for sensitive groups, including those with lung or heart disease, older adults and children," the advisory says.

There were about 250 wildfires burning across Canada as of Wednesday during that nation's worst wildfire season on record. Although the air was clear in Massachusetts on Wednesday, most Midwest states were under air quality advisories, and the smoke was set to infiltrate major cities like New York and Philadelphia by Thursday.

Massachusetts got hit hard by the Canadian smoke earlier this month when the entire state was under an air quality advisory. Residents can monitor local air quality via MassDEP monitoring stations across the state.