How To Check Air Quality In Berkeley

BERKELEY, NJ — As smoke from Canadian wildfires lingers over the northeast this week, air in Berkeley has reached "very unhealthy" levels, according to environmental officials.

An "Air Quality Action Day" has been issued statewide by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for Thursday and Friday. It's been upgraded to the "unhealthy" level, meaning that air pollution concentrations within the region could be unhealthy for sensitive groups as well as members of the general public.

And, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued a Code Red Air Quality Action Day for fine particulates, which has been extended until Friday at 11:59 p.m.

The highest concentrations of wildfire smoke should wane Thursday morning and into the afternoon across New Jersey, the National Weather Service said, though haze and smoke is expected to become more dense into Thursday evening.

With the amount of smoke and air pollution in the atmosphere it will be difficult for some sensitive groups (children, the elderly, people with breathing conditions) to do normal activities outside. And, even those adults without lung conditions may feel irritation in their eyes, nose, and throat.

“We're feeling the effects firsthand here in New Jersey,” Governor Phil Murphy said in a tweet Wednesday evening, announcing that he spoke with the east coast Consulate General of Canada about the scale of the ongoing wildfires up north. “This isn't Blade Runner — it's real life. And it's a direct result of the climate crisis.”

The frequency, extent and severity of wildfires mark important indicators of climate change, environmental officials say. The peak of the nation’s wildfire season is also occurring earlier — peaking in August from 1984-2001 and then in July from 2002-20, according to research from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Check Your Air Quality

AirNow.gov, which reports air quality using the official U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI), has an updated map of air quality in the U.S.

As of Thursday morning, the site shows that sites in 20 New Jersey counties have a "very unhealthy" level of air pollution, including in Ocean County.

Air quality alerts are triggered by a number of factors, including the detection of fine-particle pollution — known as "PM 2.5" — which can irritate the lungs.

The AQI scale is as follows:

• Good/green: 0-50
• Moderate/yellow: 51-100
• Unhealthy for sensitive groups/orange: 101-150
• Unhealthy/red: 151-200
• Very unhealthy/purple: 201-300
• Hazardous/maroon: 301-500

As of Thursday morning, Berkeley's AQI is 196, down from over 200 earlier in the day.

AirNow forecasts an AQI of 150 for Friday in Ocean County - unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Related article: When Will The Smoke Clear In NJ? Latest Forecast For Thursday

AirNow partners with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Park Service, NASA, Centers for Disease Control, and tribal, state, and local air quality agencies.

There are approximately 160 wildfires burning across Quebec, part of a wider group of more than 300 fires across the country that some are calling Canada's worst fire season ever.

Quebec's fire prevention agency has said high temperatures and dry conditions have contributed to the raging fire season.

Previous fires in Nova Scotia and Alberta have sent smoke into New Jersey, prompting air quality warnings.

This article contains additional reporting by Michelle Rotuno-Johnson.