NEW YORK CITY – Thick wildfire smoke continued to smother the skies over 100 million Americans Friday morning, but there was some relief in sight just as the big 4th of July weekend gets under way.
Washington, DC, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee all had Air Quality Index (AQI) readings over 150 early Friday morning, with readings around or just under 150 in the New York City area.
Meanwhile, air quality was significantly improved Thursday night and Friday across much of Illinois south of Chicago, Indiana, western Ohio and Kentucky after Thursday’s ferocious winds associated with a derecho cleaned out the atmosphere.
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The unhealthy air caused health advisories to be issued for many communities and more than 120 million Americans were put under Air Quality Alerts on Thursday.
Air Quality alerts still covered several states Friday morning across the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes Friday morning, including all of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Michigan, and West Virginia.
Hazy skies returned to New York City Thursday, and FOX Weather senior meteorologist Greg Diamond said the smoke moved in quickly, and there was a campfire-like smell in the air.
According to forecast models, Friday could be the final day of thick smoke for the Northeast and Great Lakes before the latest round starts to thin over the weekend as the northerly to northwesterly flow that ushered in rounds of smoke during the workweek will relax.
Until then, some communities on Friday afternoon will still see AQI readings in the unhealthy range, and health experts warn individuals should their limit outdoor activity to reduce effects.
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Sensitive health groups may experience respiratory problems and difficulty breathing.
“As we get into your Saturday morning, you can start to see the smoke disperse even more with maybe a slight haze in the sky,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Kelly Costa.