Better air quality ahead but Charlotte is still Code Orange. Here’s the latest.
Parts of North Carolina face a third day of hazardous air Friday as another wave of Canadian wildfires smoke blanketed the state overnight, officials said.
Mecklenburg, Union, Wake, Union and the nine-county Triad region are under a Code Orange alert from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. All other NC counties face a more moderate Code Yellow day, department officials said.
In Mecklenburg and Union, hot weather is expected to combine with the smoke to produce smog-forming ozone, according to an NCDEQ news release.
Caution is urged for sensitive groups, such as seniors, children and those with respiratory health problems, during Code Orange conditions.
But the Code Orange status is an improvement from the more severe Code Red alert for much of the state earlier this week.
Hot temps to blame, too
“Ground-level ozone forms when certain chemicals combine on hot days in the presence of sunshine,” NCDEQ officials said in the release. “Smoky conditions can also promote the formation of ozone.”
Code Orange means older adults, younger children and anyone with asthma or another respiratory conditions should limit “prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors,” according to the department.
Under Code Orange, state law bans open burning of yard waste and other vegetation.
Code Yellow means anyone “unusually sensitive” to air pollution might consider limiting time outside if they begin to experience symptoms such as difficulty breathing, officials said. Healthy adults are fine to exercise outdoors or otherwise go about their days, according to NCDEQ.
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Charlotte weather forecast
Charlotte should be sunny Friday and Saturday, with respective highs of 80 and 86, according to the NWS forecast at 11 a.m. Friday.
Highs in the mid-80s are predicted through Thursday, with a 50% chance of thunderstorms late Sunday and early Monday, according to the NWS.
Showers and thunderstorms are likely throughout Monday, with the chance at 80%, NWS meteorologists said. The sun should return Tuesday, according to the forecast.
When will bad air leave?
Weather conditions should push more smoke away from North Carolina Friday night, according to NCDEQ.
Ozone levels are forecast to stay in the Code Yellow range Saturday across the state and return to healthy Code Green levels by Sunday, officials said.
“The forecast is subject to change, and our meteorologists will continue to monitor the conditions heading into and through the weekend,” according to the NCDEQ statement.
For air quality updates, visit the Air Quality Portal at https://airquality.climate.ncsu.edu.
The NCDEQ website lists ways to keep safe around wildfire smoke.