Canadian wildfire smoke is affecting air quality in Boston. Here's when it will improve.
The air quality in Boston over the last few days hasn't been great, and you may have noticed a foul smell or slight haze in the air. This is a combination of low-level ozone and wildfire smoke making its way through New England on Monday, which leads to that hazy sky and the decreased air quality index.
Most of the air quality monitoring stations in our area are showing as "yellow," which corresponds to moderately unhealthy air. This is not enough for any real cause for concern, and there are not currently any air quality alerts in southern New England.
There have been a few stations with levels slightly higher than moderate, tipping into the "unhealthy for sensitive groups, " which means older adults, children, people with disabilities, and those with heart or lung disease should avoid outdoor activities, according to the EPA.
Why is the air quality bad in Massachusetts?
Again, the reason for this is twofold. First, there is some low-level ozone present on Monday. Second, and more importantly, some of the wildfire smoke from the ongoing Canadian fires continues to spill into New England.
This will come and go depending on the wind direction at both upper and lower levels of the atmosphere throughout the next few weeks and perhaps the rest of the summer, should the wildfires continue. The Canadian wildfire season typically spans from May to September.
When will the air quality improve?
Luckily, the smoke levels are forecasted to drop off significantly later in the day on Monday and on Tuesday.
We expect the air quality levels to improve and largely be in the "good" or "green" category by Tuesday.
