BALTIMORE —
The haze Marylanders are seeing in the sky Thursday is from wildfires in Virginia, and it lingered into Friday.
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The smoke will be most concentrated Friday morning while it mixes with fog, but it will disperse throughout the day.
While the National Weather Service issued air quality alerts in Virginia, a good sign was that none were issued in Maryland. Overall, the air quality should stay in the yellow range for most of Maryland, which is “moderate” and safe for most people. But the air quality is reaching unhealthy levels in Virginia closer to the location of the fires.
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| LINKS: Fire and Smoke Map | Where the fires are still active | Air Quality Map
The weather service said elevated fire weather conditions were expected Thursday across northern and central Virginia, Western Maryland and eastern West Virginia.
Meteorologists Dalencia Jenkins and Ava Marie showed maps on 11 News that show extreme drought conditions in Virginia. Marie said it’s normal to have an increased fire danger in the fall as the humidity drops and the vegetation dies, but the extreme drought in the mountains of Virginia is making matters worse.
On Friday, Marie said smoke continued to drift into Maryland from the wildfires in Virginia, especially because the winds are coming from the south.
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Once a cold front arrives Friday night, the winds will turn colder from the north, which will push the smoke out as well. There’s also some rain coming Friday night, which could be helpful to the fire situation.
A bigger improvement will come TuesdayWednesday of next week when steadier rain comes to the region; however, that will also cause some travel headaches ahead of Thanksgiving. (At least it won’t be ice or snow!)
Baltimore County fire officials said they were receiving numerous 911 calls for a strong odor of smoke. County fire officials said Maryland is feeling the effects of the wildfires in Virginia, and there was no major fire event in the county or surrounding region.
People are asked to be cautious if handling open flames or equipment that creates sparks, and to dispose of cigarette butts, matches and other flammable items appropriately. Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged.
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY
