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Everything You Need To Know About The Smoke In Philadelphia

By Gina Cosenza
Photo by Gina Cosenza

No, you’re not seeing things. It’s really hazy outside. This smoke in Philadelphia is here, real, and kind of dangerous.

The city is covered in a thick cover of smog and smells like someone’s having a campfire. It’s a really unpleasant environment to be outside in. If you had any outdoorsy June plans, you may want to hold off for the time being. The air is thick, smoky, and the exact opposite of the fresh summer air you’d expect.

The smoke in Philadelphia is not only a giant bummer. It also poses a pretty significant health risk. Be sure to check on people in your life with underlying health conditions and the elderly. The best thing you can do right now is wait it out, read up, and stay safe. We can’t control the weather, but we can be prepared and understand what exactly is happening.

Your eyes and ears have probably been glued to the news to find out what exactly has been going on, but if you need the bullet points, we got you. It’s been a lot of information coming in at once, so to make it easier for you, we have the “need-to-know’s” for the situation.

  • The Air Quality As Of June 7th Is A 205

    To anyone, that basically means nothing, so lets break it down. The City of Philadelphia has declared a health warning due to the air quality in and around the area. Air quality is scored from 0 to 301 + higher. The lower the number, the better the air quality is. 205 is a decently high number, and places the city at “very unhealthy” conditions.

  • Try To Stay Inside

    Maryland Cremation Services Inundated Amdi Coronavirus Pandemic

    Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    There are a number of reasons for this. If you are of compromised lung health, it is not advisable to be outside for long period of time (or at all). If you must, try to wear a mask and limit exposure. Another reason to stay in is lack of visibility. Driving may quite literally be dangerous during this. Use caution when doing anything outside.

  • Why Is This Happening?

    Well, it’s a combination of some really unfortunate things. Wildfires in Quebec, Canada are generating large smoke plumes in the north and all of the smoke is being funneled right into the Northeast. Unfortunately, the smoke will be hanging around for all of today, June 7th, with the most dense smoke coverage of any other day. Some really annoying weather patterns are funneling the smoke directly into our area, and there really isn’t anything we can do about it.

  • How Much Longer Will This Last?

    It looks like it will be another couple of days at least. Low pressure should push the plume of smoke eastward around Friday, June 9th. It’s been one of the driest periods Philly has faced in a while, so some rain would also help clear things up. Fingers crossed for some miraculous rain! But if not, we can wait things out for a couple more days.

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