Here is how to be safe during an Air Quality Alert.

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Hazy Skies Above the Tri-State

If you've stepped outside recently, you may have noticed a weird haze over the Evansville area, but why is that?  Well, the haze is from the wildfires currently taking place in Canada.  Due to the wildfire smoke in the air, Vanderburgh, Posey, Warrick, Spencer, Gibson, and Pike counties are all under an Air Quality Alert.

This is a photo taken from our studio inside the Fifth Third Bank Building.

Emergency Management Agency Shares Important Air Quality Information

Today (June 28, 2023) the Evansville area is under an Air Quality Alert due to the air quality being in the unhealthy and dangerous categories. So what should you do during an Air Quality Alert?  Well, the short answer is to stay inside if at all possible and limit time outside.

The Evansville/Vanderburgh County Emergency Management Agency took to Facebook to share more about what this means.

**AIR QUALITY ALERT**

IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT...

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has called for an Air Quality Action Day for high levels of Fine Particles PM 2.5 in the air from now through midnight CDT tonight for the following Southwest Indiana counties,

Vanderburgh, Posey, Warrick, Spencer, Gibson, and Pike.

This alert is in effect until midnight CDT tonight.

A Particulate Alert is issued when the concentration of fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in the atmosphere may exceed federally mandated standards.

Here are some recommended actions that the public can take to

reduce the impact of Particulates on their health:

* Avoid burning wood in fireplaces or wood fired boilers

* Reduce activity time outdoors to reduce unhealthy exposure

to fine particulates and avoid exercising near busy roads

* Avoid using gasoline powered lawn equipment or recreational vehicles

* Turn off your engine when idling for more than 10 seconds

* Conserve energy by turning off lights or setting the air

conditioner to 75 degrees or above.

Anyone sensitive to changes in air quality may be affected when

Particulates PM 2.5 are high. Children, the elderly, and anyone with heart or lung conditions should reduce or avoid exertion and heavy work outdoors.

For more information check out the link below.

https://fire.airnow.gov/#