PITTSBURGH — Outdoor activities are not recommended as smoke from Canadian wildfires will bring unhealthy air quality conditions to our area Wednesday and Thursday.

A Code Red Air Quality alert has been issued and the smoke may irritate your eyes, nose, throat and lungs making it harder to breathe. If you can, try to limit strenuous activities and time outdoors.

• See more photos from across Western Pennsylvania
• Share photos of what it looks like where you live
• What you need to know.

Download the WPXI Weather App to stay aware of changing weather conditions, and check for the latest air quality data where you live here.

Meteorologist Scott Harbaugh talks about unhealthy air quality conditions

We will have updates below throughout the day:

CODE RED AIR QUALITY ALERT CONTINUES

A Code Red Air Quality Action Day has been declared for the Pittsburgh area on Thursday, June 29.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said that unhealthy levels of air quality will continue Thursday and at least early Friday before unsettled weather returns to help at least temporarily improve conditions through the weekend.

Residents are encouraged to check www.airnow.gov for current conditions in their area.

More info from the DEP:

Here are some tips for reducing ozone pollution:  

• Driving less by carpooling or using public transportation;  
• Combining errands to reduce vehicle trips;  
• Limiting engine idling;  
• Refueling cars and trucks after dusk; and  
• Conserving electricity by setting air conditioning to a higher temperature and turning off lights that are not in use.

Here are some tips for reducing fine particulate matter (PM-2.5) pollution:  

• Reducing or eliminating fireplace and wood stove use;  
• Avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash, and other materials; and  
• Avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.

CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER

Carnegie Science Center Executive Director Jason Brown gave Channel 11 the following statement about the air quality outside:

“The smoke that you are seeing has things like carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide as well as particulate matter.  It also has things you’d hear about coming from power plants, Sulphur dioxide, various acids and all of that comes together to negatively impact your health.”

“But what happens is, as you’ll notice with itchy eyes or a runny nose or nausea.  It can cause health hazards.  But the biggest problem is that it can get into your lungs and cause inflammation especially for people who are particularly sensitive to it.”

“We’re trying to keep the air that’s inside, inside.  And keep the smoke and particulate matter outside. So you want to be in a place that has air conditioned that’s filtered as much as possible.”

“The longer you’re exposed to it the more severe it can be.”

“You can wear an N95 mask especially when you’re outdoors. That will help to remove some of that particulate matter before you breath it in.”

“The smoke that you are seeing has things like carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide as well as particulate matter.  It also has things you’d hear about coming from power plants, Sulphur dioxide, various acids and all of that comes together to negatively impact your health.”

“But what happens is, as you’ll notice with itchy eyes or a runny nose or nausea.  It can cause health hazards.  But the biggest problem is that it can get into your lungs and cause inflammation especially for people who are particularly sensitive to it.”

“We’re trying to keep the air that’s inside, inside.  And keep the smoke and particulate matter outside. So you want to be in a place that has air conditioned that’s filtered as much as possible.”

“The longer you’re exposed to it the more severe it can be.”

“You can wear an N95 mask especially when you’re outdoors. That will help to remove some of that particulate matter before you breath it in.”

PIRATES GAME

Tonight’s Pirates vs. Padres game at PNC Park is expected to be played as scheduled.

A spokesperson for the team just released the following statement:

“We have been in contact with Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association, our team of expert medical providers at Allegheny Health Network, and city and county officials regarding the current and projected air quality index in our area. We are currently planning to host tonight’s game as scheduled. We will continue to closely monitor the air quality index levels around the ballpark. Fans holding tickets to tonight’s game who wish to exchange them for a future game may do so by calling 1-800-BUY-BUCS (1-800-289-2827) prior to the start of tonight’s game.”

STAGE AE

Tonight’s My Morning Jacket show at Stage AE will be indoors

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

University of Pittsburgh Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Chair Dr. Sally Wenzel said the following about the air quality

“I don’t think we should be concerned about a single day or even a couple of days because this now seems to becoming a pattern the more exposures you have the worse off the effects on your lungs and your heart will actually be.  Single days. Not so much. If you’re healthy, my suggestion would still to probably not run a marathon because that is going to cause you to ventilate a lot of the outside air into your lungs where it can in fact cause some small amounts of inflammation. Again if the air quality was perfect tomorrow, I wouldn’t worry about it. Our lungs are pretty good clearing out the crap and returning to healthy lungs.”

“Cut back on your exercise. Don’t be a maniac for long distances or exercise for an extended period of time.  For the most part, stay indoors.  Keep your air conditioning on if you got it. Close the windows. Have an air purifier running. As long as this passes in the next couple of days, which I think it probably will. We should be okay.”

“As long as this passes in the next couple of days, which I think it probably will.  We should be ok.”

PENNDOT:

PennDOT’s Assistant District Executive for Maintenance noted the following to their maintenance staff:

• Outdoor operations should be avoided if possible.
• Make N95 masks available to any crew members.
• Keep crew members inside equipment as best as possible.
• Monitor crew members closely and try to limit their exposure as much as possible.
• If any crew member working outdoors is not feeling well, move them to an indoor location immediately.
• Crack sealing operations are cancelled for today.

RIVERHOUNDS STATEMENT:

“This week, our summer training camp sessions for youth players are all indoors at AHN Montour, so we didn’t need to move anything for the academy.

“As for our pro team, they are taking it day by day — today we didn’t have a team session scheduled, so players were free to lift or work out on their own. A decision will be made on tomorrow’s practice in the morning.

“For our home game this Saturday night, we are abiding by the USL Championship guidelines regarding air quality.

• If the AQI is above 100, hydration breaks and additional medical precautions are added on the field.
• If the AQI is above 180, at that point postponing the match becomes a consideration after consultation with local health officials and the league office.

“The current forecast calls for air quality to improve by Friday, so while we are prepared, we’re not anticipating any of those contingencies to go into effect on game day.”

PITTSBURGH’S CITY IN THE STREETS

The City of Pittsburgh is postponing tonight’s City in the Streets event due to the air quality alert. The city said “We urge all residents to take the necessary precautions to protect their health today and stay indoors as much as possible.”

CITY POOLS

All City of Pittsburgh pools will be closed today.

YMCA OF GREATER PITTSBURGH

On the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh’s website, it says that the outdoor pools at the Bairel Family YMCA, Sampson Family YMCA and YMCA Camp Kon-O-Kwee Spencer will be closed.

They continued with “We will be closely monitoring the situation, should we continue to stay in purple outdoor activities will need to be moved inside or rescheduled. Please contact your branch or Summer Day Camp location with any questions.”

For Thursday, the YMCA told Channel 11, “based on AQI reports, the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh has decided to close our outdoor pools and three outdoor day camp locations tomorrow June 29th  (Avonworth Park, Cloverleaf and Settler’s Ridge). This information has been shared with camp parents.”

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2023 Cox Media Group