The Washington region is currently under an air-quality alert due to smoke from wildfires in the western United States and Canada. The alert is code orange, which means that the air pollution could affect groups like children, the elderly, or those who have asthma or heart and lung issues.
Other metropolitan cities along the East Coast like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia are also under an air-quality alert today. However, a cold front is supposed to move through the DC area that will carry away the smoke Thursday and Friday. Until then, the National Weather Service recommends avoiding exercise or strenuous activity outdoors.
Currently, the wildfires have burned over 1,300,000 acres in 13 states. Extreme temperatures and drought throughout the western portion of the country have contributed to wildfire spread. And this isn’t the first time smoke has carried across the country: This also happened last September, when smoke from West Coast wildfires covered the sky in DC.
Here are some tweets of locals snapping photos of the haze:
There is a thunderstorm right now moving into Arlington and Alexandria but I can’t show you too much because the smoke is so thick. 🥺 pic.twitter.com/hBt8VxjfWE
— Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) July 21, 2021
https://twitter.com/felitoj/status/1417888474942873611?s=20
#Wildfires #WildfireSmoke
The DC air quality index has been rated code yellow, with smoke from record breaking fires on the west coast making its way east.Haze over the Potomac on my morning run, a sad reminder of the urgency of the climate crisis pic.twitter.com/SxC3eWKZRm
— Ellie Sennett (@EllieMSennett) July 21, 2021
THICK HAZE OVER WASHINGTON, DC
Below is the view as of 953 a.m. Wednesday. A cold front will sweep out our haze today. Timing on possible storms—> https://t.co/KUHKNnr3Cp @wusa9 @TenaciousTopper @MiriWeather #DCwx #Maryland #Virginia #WUSA9Weather #WashingtonDC pic.twitter.com/IGzA8nCfHe
— Chester Lampkin (@chesterlampkin) July 21, 2021
See that orange haze? Wildfire smoke is diminishing air quality in the D.C. area. Here's what code orange air means — and how storms may help: https://t.co/WI9JKhEBvr pic.twitter.com/Eh9OKU87UL
— NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) July 21, 2021
Thick #haze from smoke from western wildfires causing poor air quality, can barely see the #dulles #airport air traffic control tower. Code orange ozone across the #dmv today. pic.twitter.com/nG0yABC2Qr
— 🇺🇸DC⚡️Storms (@DCstorms) July 21, 2021
Another day of smoky haze over the National Mall #DCwx @NWS_BaltWash pic.twitter.com/xndVvUNoLN
— Alek Krautmann (@AlekKrautmann) July 21, 2021
https://twitter.com/JG_Merino/status/1417673875903688707?s=20
there is so much smoke in the atmosphere right now that the Washington Monument cam didn't even catch the sun dipping below the horizon, it just sort of withers away behind all the haze. eerie. pic.twitter.com/9FMqmbMdGR
— Alejandro Alvarez 🫡 (@aletweetsnews) July 21, 2021
My phone doesn't do justice to how weird this wildfire haze hellscape moon is. pic.twitter.com/SYn73AFcTi
— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) July 21, 2021
Spooky looking side by sides of sunsets last night and tonight! #WildfireSmoke #haze pic.twitter.com/xzwgMBAqHY
— Caitlin Roth (@caitlinrothfox5) July 21, 2021
Clear view of the smokey haze from western wildfires blanketing DC just before sunset @TenaciousTopper @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/Q2Xl2s7zus
— Adem Arac (@AdemAracNotTV2) July 21, 2021
Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. She’s written for The Washington Post, Garden & Gun, Outside Magazine, Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Del Ray.
