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Smoky Skies: Air Quality 'Unhealthy' Across Region; Here's Day-By-Day Forecast Through July 4th

The July 4th weekend has arrived, but chances are the smell of smoke outside isn't coming from barbeques.

A look at the air quality forecast for Saturday, July 1. areas in orange are projected to have unhealthy air, and areas in yellow moderate air.

A look at the air quality forecast for Saturday, July 1. areas in orange are projected to have unhealthy air, and areas in yellow moderate air.

Photo Credit: AirNow.gov
A look at the six levels of the Air Quality Index.

A look at the six levels of the Air Quality Index.

Photo Credit: National Weather Service

That's because smoke from Canadian wildfires continues its eastward movement, with poor air quality now affecting nearly the entire region and most of the Northeast.

In the first image above, areas in orange are projected to have unhealthy air, and areas in yellow have moderate air on Saturday, July 1.

Air quality levels in outdoor air are predicted to be greater than an Air Quality Index value of 100 for the pollutant of Fine Particulates.

To check air quality in your zip code, visit AirNow.gov here.

The Air Quality Index, or AQI, was created to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale. The higher the AQI value, the greater the health concern.

When pollution levels are elevated, it's recommended that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects, the National Weather Service says. 

People who may be especially sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very young, and those with preexisting respiratory problems such as asthma or heart disease.

For a look at the six levels of the Air Quality Index, click on the second image above.

Outlook Through July 4th

What will be a four-day weekend for many will be mainly dry, but there will be several chances for scattered showers and thunderstorms. But there is good weather-wise news for the Fourth of July itself.

Saturday will be partly sunny with a high temperature of around 80 degrees. There is a chance of evening showers, but thunderstorms are not predicted, according to the National Weather Service.

How much sunshine there is will depend on the amount of haze from the smoke.

Sunday, July 2 could be the stormiest day of the long weekend, with showers and storms possible anytime from the morning through the evening. Up to three-quarters of an inch of rainfall is possibly, with locally higher amounts where there are stronger storms.

The cloud cover will keep the high temperature in the upper 70s. 

It will be partly sunny on Monday, July 3 with a high temperature rising to the mid-80s and a chance for afternoon and early evening showers and storms.

The outlook for Tuesday, July 4 now calls for mostly sunny skies with a high temperature in the mid to upper 80s. But areas farther north and east, including Massachusetts, could see steady rainfall and possible storms.

Check back to Daily Voice for updates.

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