KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Smoke from Canadian wildfires poured into the U.S. East Coast and Midwest this week, covering both nations' capitals in an unhealthy haze. In East Tennessee, some smog swept through the mountains.
However, the impact in East Tennessee was not as severe as the sepia-toned images from areas closer to the Canadian border, such as in New York City and Washington D.C. On Thursday, the Air Quality Index for the Knoxville area was "moderate," which is one rank worse than "good" air quality.
Air quality is measured through six ranks, increasing health risk until the final "hazardous" ranking. At a "moderate" ranking, people who are unusually sensitive to particle pollution should consider reducing their activity level or shortening the amount of time they're active outdoors.
"Being this far away from Canada, we very likely won't see much more increase, but that's not guaranteed. If the wind shifts more, suddenly we will get more," said Justin Mayer, from the Knox County Health Department. "We are in what is considered 'moderate,' which is okay for everybody unless you're severely sensitive. As it elevates, it progressively gets worse for everybody."
According to AirNow, a federal tool that tracks and reports the air quality in the U.S., the air quality is expected to worsen slightly but still stay in the "moderate" risk level category on Friday.
"It depends very much on the meteorological conditions. And then also, humidity plays a factor in that because humidity will kind of hold everything together," he said. "Rain will help because it will cause the particulate to essentially get dropped out of the atmosphere."