NJ Air Quality Index To Hit Triple Digits Thursday: See Forecast

NEW JERSEY - Hazy conditions and unhealthy air for sensitive groups are in the forecast, with all 21 New Jersey counties under an air quality alert as AQIs are expected to reach triple digits by Thursday afternoon, forecasters said.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued a code orange air quality alert beginning midnight Wednesday night and lasting through midnight Thursday. Air quality within the region could "approach or exceed unhealthy standards," officials said.

The Code Orange will be in place for 16 counties: Salem, Cumberland, Monmouth, Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Ocean, Atlantic, Sussex, Warren and Cape May.

The agency also issued an Air Quality Action Day for Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex and Union through Thursday night, meaning that Fine Particulates within the region may reach unhealthy standards.

“Sensitive groups" includes children and teenagers, older adults, people with asthma, and those with heart or lung conditions. It also includes people who spend time outside working or doing rigorous physical exercise.

“It will be a warm and dry, but hazy day with unhealthy air quality,” the National Weather Service Mount Holly station said. “The hazy and smoky conditions will persist into Friday, then chances for showers and storms return through the weekend.”

As of Thursday morning, the air quality across the Garden State was largely “moderate” at around 71 to 95 AQI, according to AirNow.gov, save for the Southern Bay region, which is currently at 103 AQI. Thursday is forecast to see AQIs between 125 and 150 later in the day, which is “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” the federal website said.

Risky AQI, which may pose a hazard for people who are sensitive to air pollution, begins at values above 50, according to the federal website.

Earlier this month, the air quality in the Garden State rose to dangerously unhealthy levels as the skies turned orange due to the wildfire haze. The unhealthy air quality closed schools and government offices for at least a day on June 7.

AccuWeather-owned Plume Labs predicts that the air quality won’t be nearly as bad in the region as earlier this month, but the air quality will still be poor.

Wildfires have burned over 19 million acres since the start of the year, roughly 6.3 million of which were in Quebec, according to Accuweather.