Canadian wildfire smoke blankets Maryland for second straight day

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is pushing air quality to unhealthy levels across Maryland for the second day in a row. The Maryland Department of the Environment issued Code Orange air quality alerts Thursday covering most of the state, all set to expire at midnight.

What’s Happening: The alerts stretch from the Eastern Shore to the Baltimore suburbs, the Washington suburbs, and the Piedmont region. Counties under alert Thursday include:

• Eastern Shore: Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, Inland Worcester, Maryland Beaches, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, and Caroline.
• Baltimore region: Southern and Northern Baltimore, Anne Arundel, and Northwest Harford.
• Northeast Maryland: Cecil and Southeast Harford.
• Suburban Washington: Prince George’s, Central and Southeast Montgomery, and Central and Southeast Howard.
• Piedmont: Frederick, Carroll, Northwest Montgomery, and Northwest Howard.
• Southern Maryland: Charles, St. Mary’s, and Calvert.

What’s Important: Code Orange means pollution may reach levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children, the elderly, and anyone with asthma, heart disease, or other lung conditions. Health officials recommend those groups stay indoors or skip strenuous outdoor activity for the rest of the day.

How This Affects Real People: Ground-level ozone forms when sunlight reacts with pollutants in the air. Wildfire smoke adds to that mix and can push concentrations higher, especially on warm, sunny days. All alerts expire at midnight Thursday.