RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Smoke from the Canadian wildfires is passing by northern and central Virginia after covering the Great Lakes region earlier in the week, and will likely impact local air quality.
Central Virginia is expected to have Code Orange Air Quality on Thursday, June 29, while parts of northern Virginia and Washington, DC will be Code Red.
As of 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 28, the following counties have a minor air quality alert:
- Charles City County
- Dinwiddie County
- Chesterfield County
- City of Colonial Heights
- Hanover County
- Henrico County
- New Kent County
- Prince George County
- City of Richmond
Under Code Orange Air Quality, at-risk groups like children, the elderly and people with heart and lung problems should wear a mask when going outside and avoid strenuous activities, like running.
This is the second time in one month that smoke from the Canadian wildfires has caused air quality concerns in Central Virginia. At the beginning of the month, the DEQ’s air quality forecast put the Richmond region under a Code Red Alert at one point, indicating that the air was unhealthy in the area.
