CLEVELAND — Smoke from Canadian wildfires impacted millions of people in portions of the country once again – including right here in Northeast Ohio with “very unhealthy” conditions reported.
YOUR AIR: How to check the air quality near you
An Air Quality Alert continues for the following counties until 12 a.m. Sunday:
- Ashtabula
- Cuyahoga
- Geauga
- Lake
- Lorain
- Medina
- Portage
- Summit
The extension in these counties comes after all of Northeast Ohio was under the Air Quality Alert both Wednesday and Thursday. While conditions are improving, officials are still preaching caution.
"Air quality levels will be unhealthy for sensitive groups during this period," according to the alert.
Those classified as “sensitive groups” include children, the elderly and people with breathing difficulties.
Here is more guidance from the Cleveland Department of Public Health:
Children, teens, older adults and those with heart or lung disease
- Avoid outdoor activities as much as possible.
- Stay inside with the door closed.
"Those with heart disease or COPD should pay close attention to symptoms such as chest pain or tightness, a fast heartbeat, feeling more out of breath than usual or extreme fatigue," officials said.
Everyone else
- Limit outdoor activities, especially strenuous outdoor activities.
- Keep outdoor activities as short as possible.
- Reassign outdoor work to indoor activities except in emergent situations.
CDPH also suggests using an air purifier in your home to reduce pollutant concentrations.
To help reduce air pollution, experts advice you drive less, bike, walk, use transit, work from home or combine trips. It’s also advised that you refill your gas tank after sunset and wait to mow the lawn.
While it may look like fog, the smoke is also causing reduced visibility throughout the region.
So when will this smoke move out?
“Things do subside – hopefully, fingers crossed – for tomorrow and then getting into the weekend, but then we’ll be dealing with a whole different beast meaning showers and thunderstorms," explains 3News meteorologist Hollie Strano.