Air quality ‘unhealthy’ for most of Central Florida due to Canadian wildfire smoke

Haze in central Florida from wildfires burning in Canada

ORLANDO, Fla. – The air quality in Central Florida continues to deteriorate due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.

Most of Central Florida is in now in the unhealthy range for air quality.

Air quality

Air quality may continue to deteriorate throughout Tuesday.

Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.

Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected. Those in this category should take precautions:

People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens – take any of these steps to reduce your exposure:

  • Avoid strenuous outdoor activities.
  • Keep outdoor activities short.
  • Consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them.

If you are healthy,

  • Choose less strenuous activities (like walking instead of running) so you don’t breathe as hard.
  • Shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors.
  • Be active outdoors when air quality is better.

The smoke, originating from large wildfires burning near the Hudson Bay, is being transported south by an area of high pressure moving through the Tennessee River Valley.

High transporting smoke

A large storm out in the open Atlantic is also helping to force the smoke south along the east coast of the U.S.

Wildfire smoke seen on the visible satellite. Low pressure is helping to force the smoke south.

Smoke will start to dissipate through the day Wednesday.

Haze may linger across the northern half of Florida through the week.

Smoke over Florida

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About the Author

Jonathan Kegges joined the News 6 team in June 2019 and now covers weather on TV and all digital platforms.

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