Washington D.C. air quality tracker: Smoke pollution improves in nation's capital
Air quality has vastly improved in Washington Friday after spending hours in wildfire smoke levels considered “hazardous” on Thursday.
Thick wildfire smoke from Canada descends upon Washington D.C.
Thick smoke billowing into the United States from Canada is moving into Washington D.C. where Air Quality Alerts remain in effect across the area.
WASHINGTON - Air quality has vastly improved in Washington Friday after spending hours in wildfire smoke levels considered "hazardous" on Thursday.
Air Quality Index (AQI) levels were under 100 across the Washington and Baltimore areas Friday morning, only ranking in the "moderate" category.
The air quality in Washington had skyrocketed to "hazardous" levels for part of Thursday morning before falling back to "Very Unhealthy" levels as millions of people in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic were smothered in thick smoke blowing in from hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada.
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Image 1 of 53The Lincoln Memorial is seen as smoke from wildfires in Canada cause hazy conditions in Washington, DC, on June 7, 2023. A Code Red Air Quality Alert, for unhealthy and unsafe air, is in effect Wednesday for the Washington area. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 2 of 53WASHINGTON, DC- JUNE 07: Tourists visit the Lincoln Memorial under hazy skies caused by Canadian wildfires on June 07, 2023 in Washington, DC. Air quality levels remain in red for most of the East Coast due to smoke from wildfires that have been burning in Canada for weeks. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 3 of 53ARLINGTON - JUNE 7: Visitors walk along the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington, Va., on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires were visible throughout the region Wednesday. (Photo by Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 4 of 53ARLINGTON - JUNE 7: A commercial airplane takes off over the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington, Va., on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires were visible throughout the region Wednesday. (Photo by Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 5 of 53WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 07: A man looks on as gaze blankets over monuments on the National Mall on June 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. Air pollution alerts were issued across the United States as harmful smoke wafted south from more than a hundred wildfires burning in Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 6 of 53WASHINGTON, DC- JUNE 07: Tourists visit the World War II Memorial under hazy skies caused by Canadian wildfires on June 07, 2023 in Washington, DC. Air quality levels remain in red for most of the East Coast due to smoke from wildfires that have been burning in Canada for weeks. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 7 of 53WASHINGTON - JUNE 7: Wearing protective face masks, U.S. Park Rangers stand at the base of the Washington Monument on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires were visible throughout the region Wednesday. (Photo by Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 8 of 53WASHINGTON, DC- JUNE 07: Hazy skies are seen over Arlington, VA as people are seen near the Potomac River on Wednesday June 07, 2023 in Washington, DC. Smoke from wildfires in Canada have darkened the skies and effected the air quality in some of the United States. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images) ( )
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 9 of 53Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 10 of 53Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 11 of 53Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 12 of 53Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 13 of 53Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 14 of 53Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 15 of 53Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 16 of 53Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 17 of 53Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 18 of 53Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 19 of 53A view of smoky sky as air quality fell to dangerous levels due to Canada's wildfires, according to reports from the National Weather Service, in Washington DC, United States on June 07, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency)
![Washington, DC smogged by smoke]()
Image 20 of 53You can faintly see Washington, DC landmarks smogged by smoke in the distance on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. ( )
![ARLINGTON - JUNE 7: The Lincoln Memorial, pictured from Arlington, Va., on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires were visible throughout the region Wednesday.]()
Image 21 of 53ARLINGTON - JUNE 7: The Lincoln Memorial, pictured from Arlington, Va., on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires were visible throughout the region Wednesday. (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post)
![Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Blows South Creating Hazy Conditions On Large Swath Of Eastern U.S.]()
Image 22 of 53The Manhattan skyline is seen during sunrise amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires on June 08, 2023 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago)
![People take photos of the sun as smoke from the wildfires in Canada cause hazy conditions in New York City on June 7, 2023.]()
Image 23 of 53People take photos of the sun as smoke from the wildfires in Canada cause hazy conditions in New York City on June 7, 2023. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP)
![New York experiences worst air quality because of Canadian wildfires]()
Image 24 of 53People walk at Times Square, known as the World Capital of New York as smoke from wildfires in Canada spread badly in United States on June 08, 2023. (Eren Abdullahogullari/Anadolu Agency)
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Image 25 of 53Smoky haze blankets neighborhood in the Bronx. New York City. June 7, 2023. (David Dee Delgado)
![Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Blows South Creating Hazy Conditions On Large Swath Of Eastern U.S.]()
Image 26 of 53NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 7: Traffic goes over the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge as smoke from Canadian wildfires casts a haze over the area on June 7, 2023 in New York City. Air pollution alerts were issued across the United States due to smoke from wildfires that have been burning in Canada for weeks. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
![Rust-colored New York City skyline. June 7, 2023.]()
Image 27 of 53Rust-colored New York City skyline. June 7, 2023. (Pamela Ng)
![Hazy skies with Radio City Music Hall in the foreground. New York City. June 7, 2023.]()
Image 28 of 53Hazy skies with Radio City Music Hall in the foreground. New York City. June 7, 2023. (Debbie Burkhoff)
![A photo showing the orange sky from wildfire smoke at Spring Lake park in South Plainfield, New Jersey on June 7, 2023.]()
Image 29 of 53A photo showing the orange sky from wildfire smoke at Spring Lake park in South Plainfield, New Jersey on June 7, 2023. (Image credit: @hurricaneville/Twitter) ( )
![Orange skies caused by wildfire smoke from Canada are seen over Times Square in New York City on June 7, 2023.]()
Image 30 of 53Orange skies caused by wildfire smoke from Canada are seen over Times Square in New York City on June 7, 2023. (Pam Ng)
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Image 31 of 53The US Capitol, from right, Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial shrouded in smoke from Canada wildfires in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. The US Northeast faces another day of choking smoke from forest fires across eastern Canada with air quality alerts stretching from New York and New England to South Carolina. (Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images) ( )
![People stand in a park as the New York City skyline is covered with haze and smoke from Canada wildfires on June 7, 2023 in Weehawken, New Jersey. Air pollution alerts were issued across the United States due to smoke from wildfires that have been burning in Canada for weeks.]()
Image 32 of 53People stand in a park as the New York City skyline is covered with haze and smoke from Canada wildfires on June 7, 2023 in Weehawken, New Jersey. Air pollution alerts were issued across the United States due to smoke from wildfires that have been burning in Canada for weeks. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
![Smokey Sunrise in New York City]()
Image 33 of 53JERSEY CITY, NJ - JUNE 7: Smoke continues to shroud the sun as it rises behind the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City on June 7, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Gary Hershorn)
![Thick smoke over Binghamton, New York, produces an orange glow at the local National Weather Service office on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.]()
Image 34 of 53Thick smoke over Binghamton, New York, produces an orange glow at the local National Weather Service office on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. (NWS Binghamton)
![Smokey Sunrise in New York City]()
Image 35 of 53JERSEY CITY, NJ - JUNE 7: Smoke shrouds the skyline of midtown Manhattan as the sun rises in New York City on June 7, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Gary Hershorn)
![The sun is shrouded as it rises in a hazy, smoky sky due to the Canadian wildfires in New York City of United States on June 07, 2023.]()
Image 36 of 53The sun is shrouded as it rises in a hazy, smoky sky due to the Canadian wildfires in New York City of United States on June 07, 2023. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency)
![Hazy sunrise in Washington, DC]()
Image 37 of 53Hazy skies could be seen Wednesday morning in Washington, DC. ( )
![US-CANADA-ENVIRONMENT-FIRE]()
Image 38 of 53A man stands before the New York city skyline and east river shrouded in smoke, in Brooklyn on June 6, 2023. (ED JONES/AFP)
![CANADA-ENVIRONMENT-FIRE]()
Image 39 of 53A child stands on the shore before the New York city skyline and east river shrouded in smoke, in Brooklyn on June 6, 2023. (ED JONES/AFP)
![Canadian wildfire smoke creates unhealthy air quality in NYC]()
Image 40 of 53The Downtown Manhattan skyline stands shrouded in a reddish haze as a result of Canadian wildfires on June 06, 2023 in New York City. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency)
![Canadian wildfire smoke creates unhealthy air quality in NYC]()
Image 41 of 53The Downtown Manhattan skyline stands shrouded in a reddish haze as a result of Canadian wildfires on June 06, 2023 in New York City. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency)
![Air-quality alert in NYC]()
Image 42 of 53A man walks his dog as air quality remains poor in New York City on June 06, 2023. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency)
![Air-quality alert in NYC]()
Image 43 of 53A man sits in the bus stop with a mask on his face in New York City on June 06, 2023. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency)
![Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Blows South Creating Hazy Conditions On East Coast]()
Image 44 of 53The Statue of Liberty stands shrouded in a reddish haze as a result of Canadian wildfires on June 06, 2023 in New York City. Over 100 wildfires are burning in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia and Quebec resulting in air quality health alerts for the Adirondacks, Eastern Lake Ontario, Central New York and Western New York. (Spencer Platt)
![Heavy Smoke Shrouds Midtown Manhattan in New York City]()
Image 45 of 53Heavy smoke shrouds the Chrysler Building and One Vanderbilt in a view looking northeast from the Empire State Building as the sun sets on June 6, 2023, in New York City. (Gary Hershorn)
![Heavy Smoke Shrouds Midtown Manhattan in New York City]()
Image 46 of 53Heavy smoke fills the air as people cross 34th Street in Herald Square on June 6, 2023, in New York City. (Gary Hershorn)
![NYC Smoke]()
Image 47 of 53NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 06: General view of hazy conditions resulting from Canadian wildfires as grounds crew prepares the field before the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on June 06, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
![NYC Smoke]()
Image 48 of 53NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 06: General view of hazy conditions resulting from Canadian wildfires as Clarke Schmidt #36 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on June 06, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
![NYC Smoke]()
Image 49 of 53Buildings and Central Park shrouded in smoke from Canada wildfires in New York, US, on Tuesday. June 6, 2023. New York City is bathed in a blanket of unhealthy air as smoke from Canadian wildfires seeps across much of the eastern US and Great Lakes areas. (Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
![NYC Smoke]()
Image 50 of 53NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 06: General view of hazy conditions resulting from Canadian wildfires as Jose Trevino #39 of the New York Yankees walks out on to the field before the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on June 06, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
![NYC Smoke]()
Image 51 of 53NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 06: General view of hazy conditions resulting from Canadian wildfires as Clarke Schmidt #36 of the New York Yankees walks out on to the field before the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on June 06, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images))
![Smoke over Yankee stadium]()
Image 52 of 53Smoke over Yankee stadium (June 6, 2023) (@borgesCL/Twitter)
![A view of orange haze illuminated the skies across the East on Tuesday morning as wildfire smoke from Canada spread across the East in New York, United States on June 6, 2023.]()
Image 53 of 53A view of orange haze illuminated the skies across the East on Tuesday morning as wildfire smoke from Canada spread across the East in New York, United States on June 6, 2023. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency)
Images from around the nation's capital showed an orange haze in the sky Thursday, much like what New York City experienced on Wednesday.
People visiting many of the monuments in Washington, as well as national park rangers, were seen wearing masks to protect themselves from the harmful effects of the wildfire smoke.
By Friday, just a light haze loomed over the nation's capital.
What are the current air quality levels in Washington, D.C.?
(FOX Weather)
The Washington air quality levels reached "hazardous" levels on Thursday morning when the Air Quality Index (AQI) hit 313. Those levels dropped a bit to "Very Unhealthy" levels later in the morning.
The AQI ranges from 0 to 500 and has six color-coded categories to correspond to a different level of health concern, according to AirNow.gov. Lower numbers equate to better air quality, and higher numbers equate to poorer air quality.
WHAT TO DO WHEN WILDFIRE SMOKE SMOTHERS YOUR AREA, AND HOW TO KEEP YOUR HOME'S AIR CLEAN
What are the current Air Quality Alerts in Washington, D.C.?
(FOX Weather)
Nearly 90 million Americans across the eastern half of the country remained under Air Quality Alerts on Friday. A "code orange" air quality alert remained in effect in Washington, D.C. warning those sensitive to air quality, such as children, older adults and those with heart and lung ailments, should limit outdoor activities.
WHY YOU SHOULD AVOID REFUELING YOUR CAR OR GRILLING DURING UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY
What are the cities with the worst air quality in the U.S.?
(FOX Weather)
Several cities across Pennsylvania topped the chart of worst air quality in the U.S. late Thursday morning, with Washington at one point measuring 5th-worst. As of Friday morning, no cities were listed as "hazardous" and only a handful even were in unhealthy levels.
WHAT IS THE AIR QUALITY INDEX?
What does the Air Quality Index (AQI) mean?
The air quality index ranges from 0 to 500 and has six color-coded categories to correspond to a different level of health concern.
(FOX Weather)
A regular assessment of air quality in the United States started in 1976, about six years after the Environmental Protection Agency was created.
According to AirNow.gov, the law requires any metropolitan area with a population of more than 350,000 to report air quality daily.
The Air Quality Indexs we know it today was released in 1999, according to AirNow.gov. It has gone through several updates over the years, but the goal has always been the same — to offer people an easy-to-understand daily report about the air they’re breathing and indicate what air quality is dangerous.