Will The Smoke Clear Friday? PA’s Weekend Air Quality Forecast

PENNSYLVANIA - Although air quality alerts remain in place, smoke and air quality conditions will continue to improve Friday morning and are slated to get better throughout Friday and Saturday, officials said.

On Friday morning, air quality monitors throughout the state were registering between 64 to 129 AQI, or up to the “moderate” air quality level, according to AirNow.gov. That’s compared to AQI values peaking at 350-450, the “hazardous” category, in the region just 24 hours ago.

The highest concentrations of smoke in the region Friday should be seen from Philadelphia and points south Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, though the air quality won’t be as extreme as earlier this week.

All Pennsylvania counties are under an air quality alert Friday, with a “Code Orange Air Quality Action Day” in effect, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. A code orange air quality alert means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups, such as children, the elderly and those suffering from asthma or heart disease.

Exposure to air pollutants from the wildfire, which as particulate matter and ground-level ozone, can cause headaches, irritated eyes and sinuses, fatigue, difficulty breathing, chest pains, asthma attacks, irritated throat and increased coughing, the weather service said.

"Poor air quality can be hazardous to anyone, and it can aggravate health problems such as asthma, heart disease, and lung disease," the weather service added. "Seniors, children and those with compromised immune systems are especially at risk."

Scattered showers and a few thunderstorms are also set to come to the region Friday afternoon and evening, ushering in a “brief period of gusty winds and small hail,” according to the National Weather Service.

“Ozone levels are forecast to drop into the good/moderate threshold on Friday as chances for rain are expected to help limit ozone formation in northern portions of the state,” the DEP said.

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.

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 Pennsylvania, prompting air quality warnings.

Here's the latest weather forecast for the state, per the National Weather Service:

Friday: Scattered showers before 1 p.m., then scattered showers and thunderstorms between 1 and 3 p.m., then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 3 p.m. Widespread haze before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night: Showers likely, mainly before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Northwest wind 9 to 13 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 52. West wind around 7 mph.