Update: The air quality in the D.C. region reached its most hazardous levels in decades on Thursday. Over the last several days, smoke from the Candian wildfires has moved slowly over the eastern United States, creating dangerous air quality in cities from Philadelphia to New York.

As of noon, much of the D.C. region was in the Purple Zone of the Air Quality Index, which includes AQIs between 201 and 300. Earlier Thursday morning, D.C. and other parts of the region crept into the Maroon Zone, recording an AQI 300 or above. You can check for updates on airnow.gov to see what the current AQI is in your area.

In Code Purple, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, everyone should avoid activities outdoors — but especially sensitive groups including people with heart or lung conditions, older adults, children, and teens. In a Code Maroon, the air quality is dangerous even for healthy people; everyone should stay inside and reduce any outdoor activity. In both instances, it’s healthiest for everyone to be indoors as much as possible. If you have to be outside for any reason, it’s best to wear a high quality mask, like an N95.

Early Thursday morning D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser sent out Code Purple guidance, warning that the air quality was unhealthy enough that the entire public was at risk. All Department of Parks and Recreation outdoor events and programs have been canceled, as well as all outdoor activities at D.C. Public Schools. Later Thursday afternoon, D.C. modified more city services; the D.C. Department of Transportation will suspend roadwork, the DMV inspection station is closed, and trash pick-ups will slide a day. More modifications may occur based on health guidance, City Administrator Kevin Donahue said at a press conference on Thursday.

“I think the basics of it is: if you don’t have to be outside, then don’t be outside…if you do need to be outside, then wear a mask and limit your exposure,” Bowser said Thursday, adding that D.C. officials themselves are familiarizing themselves with the langauge of air quality zones and guidance. “We’re not even used to this language to deal with this type of air quality, I don’t know that we’ve ever experienced it so poorly.”

The National Zoo will also be closed for the day, and Thursday night’s Nats game has been postponed. Events for this weekend, including Capital Pride and Dyke March, have not been moved yet.

Original: The air quality in the D.C. region reached Code Red — or worse — on Wednesday morning, meaning it’s unhealthy for the general population to be outside, as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to waft over the area.

D.C.’ s Air Quality Index score moved up to 199 on Wednesday morning, putting the city in the red category of the AQI’s six-category meter. (Last week, smoke from New Jersey wildfires pushed us into Code Orange.) When air quality is in Code Red, people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should avoid outdoor activities, keep them short, or move them inside to the extent that it’s possible. Everyone else in the general public is recommended to avoid strenuous activity outdoors (swap a jog for a walk) and limit time spent outdoors being active. You might notice feeling short of breath, a scratchy throat, or inflammation in your chest while air quality is at its lowest.

You can use airnow.gov — a website that pulls data from the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia environmental departments and EPA — to check what the latest AQI Code is for your area. For example, Alexandria, Virginia reached Code Purple at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/capitalweather/status/1666460379864596483

Region’s Schools Changing Plans In Response to Air Quality

Some schools have announced restrictions on outdoor time Wednesday, and with a hazy (literally) forecast for a weekend packed with activities, more closures, postponements, or cancellations could be on the way. (If that sentence took you back to 2020 in a very chiling way — same!) We’ll update this post as we learn more.

D.C. Public Schools announced Wednesday that all outdoor activities at schools around the system would be canceled, including recess, physical education classes, athletic practices and competitions, and field trips. Fairfax County Public Schools issued a similar alert, canceling recess, physical education, sports activities, marching band, and outdoor contractor operations for Wednesday. Morning graduations are set to take place as scheduled for FCPS, and more updates will be made at 1 p.m.

https://twitter.com/dcpublicschools/status/1666430240917184515

Montgomery County Public Schools has also canceled or rescheduled all outdoor activities for Wednesday and Thursday (field trips are subject to change as well depending on the type of activity and location), and Prince George’s County Public Schools has canceled all outdoor activities for Wednesday and Thursday. The D.C. YMCA also closed outdoor facilities on Wednesday afternoon, starting at 2 p.m.

So far, not many outdoor events throughout the week or weekend have been canceled because of the air quality, but one event, the Rock the Dock concert at the Wharf, has been rescheduled from Wednesday to June 14. Even if an event is not canceled, people should exercise caution when making plans for themselves and their loved ones — especially those that might have a heightened risk of respiratory issues. For example, one person who guides walking tours told us they’ll be canceling their tours out of an abundance of caution. If you have something booked outdoors, like a reservation at an outdoor patio, maybe call ahead of time to check on the status. The Nats game for Wednesday evening will continue as scheduled, the team announced Wednesday afternoon. 

We’ve reached out to officials with the city’s Department of Human Services and a spokesperson for Mayor Muriel Bowser to ask if D.C. will be operating special services to help residents take shelter indoors, similar to how the city activates heat advisories and opens cooling centers. We haven’t heard back yet, but D.C. operates drop-in day centers and low-barrier shelters. The Homeless Services Hotline is 202-399-7903, or residents can call 311.

When’s it going away? 

According to airnow.gov, the air quality is expected to remain in Code Red for Thursday as well, and potentially creep back down into orange by Friday, at which point it would be unhealthy for sensitive groups to be outside. Capital Weather Gang’s Ian Livingston expects that the worst of the smoke will last through at least the weekend, and potentially beyond. There is a chance that smoke from the north could move over the Atlantic before invading the region, but a dense smoke plume appears to be heading south for Wednesday into Thursday. (Although it would otherwise make for a lovely weekend in the city, abnormally low wind levels for June are working against us here.)

https://twitter.com/capitalweather/status/1666470918426619906

Given that it’s the start of wildfire season, it’s difficult to predict what’s to come this year, especially as climate change contributes to more frequent wildfires. D.C., a city that without plumes of Canadian wildfire has poor and inequitable air quality, has made some efforts to keep the air cleaner across all wards, but many residents have already been living with poor air quality due to air pollutants.

This story has been updated with the most recent information regarding D.C.’s Code Maroon.