UPDATED: Wildfire Smoke Triggers Code Purple For Friday

UPDATED: 8:17 p.m., Thursday:

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a statewide Code Purple Air Quality Alert for Friday and warned of high levels of fine particulate matter pollution.

Under a Code Purple alert, state environmental officials advise all residents to avoid long or intense outdoor activities and recommend moving exercises and events indoors. Sensitive populations, including children, elderly residents, and individuals with respiratory illnesses, are urged to avoid all outdoor activities entirely.

State officials said that local conditions may change throughout the day. Depending on the time and location, air quality could range from less severe categories, such as Code Orange or Code Red, to more extreme conditions, including Code Maroon.

Residents are being advised to check www.airnow.gov for real-time conditions in their specific areas and to make informed decisions regarding outdoor activities based on those current readings.

To help reduce fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution, the department is asking residents and businesses voluntarily halt using gas-powered lawn and garden equipment and avoid opening burning.

Original Post:

The familiar, gray haze of wildfire smoke has returned to the skies of Bucks County as Canadian and northern Minnesota wildfires rage on.

Skies turned gray on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the distinct smell of burning wood reaching ground level by Wednesday afternoon. The same conditions are expected on Thursday.

A satellite image released by NASA captured the smoke, originating largely in Canada, hanging over Bucks County and the Philadelphia region.

The smoke can block out the sun, cause haze, and cast an orange glow.

The smoky conditions have led to air-quality concerns over a period of dangerously high temperatures.

The federal U.S. Air Quality Index forecast “unhealthy” conditions in the area for Thursday.

“Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects,” officials warned.

In response, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued a Code Red Air Quality Action Day for fine particulates.

The air-quality warning comes alongside a Heat Advisory for Thursday, with temperatures soaring toward 100 degrees and heat index values projected to climb even higher.

“Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors,” forecasters at the National Weather Service’s regional office advised.

After a slow start to Canada’s 2026 fire season, wildfire activity has picked up since late June due to dry, warm conditions. By mid-July, nearly 850 fires were actively burning across Canada, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported.

While meteorologists do not expect this week’s smoke to reach the levels seen during the historic 2023 wildfire season, the National Weather Service warned that smoke closer to the ground could still degrade local air quality and reduce visibility.