Air quality forecast from Canadian wildfire smoke.

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

With summer-like heat moving in, health officials have issued a Code Orange Air Quality Alert for much of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia metro area on Wednesday, June 4 (scroll down to check your town's air quality index).

The alerts, in effect from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., warn that ground-level ozone pollution could reach unhealthy levels for sensitive groups, including children, the elderly, and those with heart or lung disease, authorities in each state said. Click here to see today's air quality forecast.

In New Jersey, the Department of Environmental Protection issued alerts for Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Union, Hudson, Morris, Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, and Mercer counties. Officials said the I-95 corridor is especially vulnerable due to hot temps, light southwest winds, and sunny skies.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued similar warnings for the entire NYC area — including Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Rockland, Westchester, Orange, Putnam, Ulster, Dutchess, and Sullivan counties.

In Connecticut, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection named all major counties — including Fairfield, New Haven, Litchfield, Middlesex, New London, Hartford, Tolland, and Windham — under the alert.

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission issued the same alert for Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania.

Click here to check your town's air quality index.

Officials advise limiting outdoor physical activity during the afternoon and early evening to reduce the risk of adverse health effects.