Canadian wildfires prompted a near-unprecedented health alert throughout the D.C. region on Thursday, as a slow-moving shroud of smoke sent air quality plummeting to its lowest point in decades. What will it be like on Friday? Here’s what you need to know.
A red-tinged sun shone dimly through a brownish haze in downtown Washington on Thursday morning — the air, pungent with a campfire-like odor. Looking east from the base of the Washington Monument, the smog was thick enough at times to render the U.S. Capitol, less than two miles away, virtually invisible.
Thursday began as a Code Red alert day in the WTOP listening area, but deteriorated to a rare Code Purple as a dense region of smoke drifted southward from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The air quality had improved somewhat by early evening, but 7News meteorologist Eileen Whelan said the region was still enduring its worst level of pollution in years.
Friday is looking like an improvement, with a Code Orange air forecast for the D.C. region. Orange levels mean the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
On Thursday, health officials warned residents with lung or heart illnesses, as well as children and the elderly, to avoid outdoor activities whenever possible. Many school districts canceled their athletics and after-school programs. In the nation’s capital, some city services were suspended out of concern for workers’ health.
Air pollution is measured by the air quality index, or AQI. You can look up the air quality near you on the Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow.gov. If you must head out during periods of poor air quality, health officials recommend you consider wearing an N95 or KN95 mask when the AQI is above 100 — even if you’re healthy.
The CDC recommends replacing your N95 mask when the straps are stretched out, when it no longer fits snugly against your face, or when it becomes wet, dirty or damaged.
DC suspends some city services
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said some “non-essential” city services were suspended.
All Department of Parks and Recreation fields, playgrounds and athletic courts were closed Thursday, the District announced in a news release. The District Department of Transportation suspended paving and road operations for its crews. Household trash and recycling collection was halted and moved forward one day for the rest of the week.
Service Alert! Due to the current Code Purple air quality designation, DPW sanitation operations including household trash and recycling collection will slide today. pic.twitter.com/rpdl6Upy3G
— DC Department of Public Works (@DCDPW) June 8, 2023
D.C Public Schools canceled recess and outdoor activities. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo also closed to visitors.
The Washington Nationals announced their 1:05 p.m. game against the Arizona Diamondbacks was rescheduled due to the poor air quality. The game will be made up on Thursday, June 22 at 1:05 p.m.
Changes in Maryland, Virginia
In Montgomery County, Maryland, officials issued a health advisory urging people to take precautions.
“Today’s Code Purple air quality alert indicates very unhealthy air conditions for the entire public, not just those with respiratory illnesses,” County Health Officer Dr. Kisha Davis said in a statement. “The smoke from the Canadian wildfires has exacerbated a typical air quality alert and everyone should pay attention and take precautions.”
Montgomery County said all recreation activities sponsored by the county’s Department of Recreation were canceled for the day. Pride in the Parks, scheduled for Thursday, was also canceled. Ride On buses were made free on Thursday, in order to minimize the amount of time people have to be out walking.
Prince George’s County officials made similar moves, pulling back non-essential municipal employees from outside work due to worsening air quality. The county’s health department also shared plans to provide the public with protective masks, limiting some adverse health effects.
“It is one of the proven ways to safeguard your lungs and respiratory system from the bad effects of exposure to pollutants in the air you breathe. The safety of our community is of utmost importance to us, and the Health Department is committed to providing valuable resources to ensure every resident is healthy,” the department said in a release.
On Twitter, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said health, construction and property inspections were suspended for the day, in addition to outdoor county events.
In Fairfax County, Virginia, the public school system said all outdoor activities, including recess, middle school after-school programs, sports activities and field trips, were canceled.
Limit time outdoors
“The best thing to do right now is to stay indoors,” Dr. Rachel Schreiber, an allergist with a practice in Rockville, Maryland, told WTOP earlier this week.
Schreiber said that with the current air quality, anyone with respiratory issues should also have any medicine on hand that they might need, including inhalers.
Common symptoms smoke can cause include sore throat, irritated eyes or sinuses, as well as lower respiratory issues, such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.
Schreiber said she is getting a lot of calls about whether masks will help, and the answer is, “It depends.”
If you have a surgical mask, those will not stop the smoke, but N95 masks on the other hand, can stop the small particles from getting into your lungs.
“We want to protect your airways. We want to protect that particulate matter from getting in your airways and potentially even getting into your bloodstream,” Schreiber said.
Where did this smog come from?
The smog that has been blanketing the northeastern U.S. came from wildfire smoke in several Canadian provinces, The Associated Press reported.
Much of the air was in the “unhealthy or worse categories in areas from the Mid-Atlantic through the Northeast and parts of the Upper Great Lakes,” according to an advisory issued by the Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday night.
“The fires are so big and so hot. They generate a special kind of cloud; we call it pyrocumulus,” University of Maryland atmospheric and oceanic scientist Russell Dickerson told WTOP. “The air, full of smoke, rises up high in the atmosphere, where it has a longer lifetime and can get caught on rivers of wind and transported to long distances.”
The last time at least a code red was issued for D.C. was in July 2018 due to ozone, 7News meteorologist Veronica Johnson said. And the last time the particulate matter (PM) was this high was in 2003.
So far in 2023, there have been six code orange days, which is double than all of 2022 with just three days, Johnson said.
“We remain very dry across the DMV with moderate drought conditions observed,” Johnson said.
Dickerson said the dry weather in much of the Northeast “exacerbates the problem.”
“If it rained, in Quebec, or even between Quebec and us, you wouldn’t see this kind of a haze layer,” Dickerson said.
Forecast
There is a highly isolated chance for a brief shower Thursday or Friday, as an upper-level low spins overhead.
The next best chance for rain arrives Monday with the next weather maker, which will also bring an increase in humidity.
Thursday night: Hazy skies. Winds: Northwest 5 mph. Lows in the mid-50s to 60 degrees.
Friday: Hazy skies with a chance for afternoon rain. Winds: Northwest 5-10 mph. Highs in the low to mid-70s.
Current weather
WTOP’s Alejandro Alvarez contributed to this report.
