Central Ohio under Air Quality Alert due to Canadian wildfire smoke

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission issued an Air Quality Alert for central Ohio on Saturday due to wildfire smoke from Canada.

MORPC said light northeasterly winds behind a departing front will transport Canadian wildfire smoke into central Ohio, raising particle levels. They added that increased mixing during the afternoon will bring aloft smoke to the surface, keeping particle levels elevated.

These factors will make the Air Quality Index unhealthy for sensitive groups.

The AQI scale runs from 0-500, where the higher the AQI value is, the greater the health concern. When levels reach above 100, air quality is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, prompting MORPC to issue an Air Quality Alert.

Active children, the elderly and people with asthma and COPD ar