HARRISBURG — Poor air quality gripped Pennsylvania Saturday morning as wildfire smoke spread across the entire state, with a warm front moving through the region pushing levels to unhealthy and very unhealthy across much of Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia, though forecasters say the smoke will finally clear out by midafternoon.
Widespread Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy Conditions
Air quality readings as of 7:30 a.m. Saturday showed a very unhealthy classification, corresponding to an AQI of 200 to 300, across much of western Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh, Beaver, Butler, Indiana, and DuBois. A broader unhealthy designation, at an AQI of 151 to 200, extended across a large swath of the state including Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia, and Gettysburg.
Northeastern Pennsylvania communities including Scranton, Honesdale, and Milford fared somewhat better, falling into the moderate air quality category Saturday morning, offering a noticeable contrast to the more severe conditions affecting the western and central parts of the state.
Smoke Tied to Warm Front Movement
The widespread poor air quality Saturday is directly connected to a warm front currently moving through the region. Forecasters are urging residents across Pennsylvania to avoid prolonged exposure to outside air through the morning hours while the smoke remains concentrated at these unhealthy levels.
Afternoon Clearing Expected
Despite the rough start to Saturday, there is good news on the horizon: the warm front responsible for pushing today’s smoke into the region is expected to lift it back out of the way by the mid-to-late afternoon hours. While clearer air will arrive, strong to severe storms are expected to take smoke’s place as the next weather concern for Pennsylvania residents.
Outlook for the Week Ahead
Forecasters say they do not currently foresee levels of extreme smoke returning to Pennsylvania this upcoming week, assuming no new outbreak of fires develops. The source region responsible for the recent wildfire smoke has reportedly been hit by showers and thunderstorms, helping extinguish the majority of the fires driving this recurring smoke pattern…