Smoke from Canada wildfires is spreading to South Carolina. Will it affect Beaufort County?
With smoke enveloping major Northeastern cities, filling the air with noxious orange smog, and moving into South Carolina and triggering air quality alerts in some counties, the National Weather Service Charleston Office says Beaufort County is in the clear for now.
For the past six weeks, hundreds of wildfires have raged throughout Canada, causing mass evacuations. Smoke from the fires has spread into the United States in the past three days, casting an orange haze in many East Coast states and cities, triggering air quality alerts affecting millions of people. Unhealthy levels of air pollution are affecting New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., leading many to don face masks when heading into the haze.
Conditions were expected to improve in the Northeast, according to The New York Times, however the toxic smoke is spreading down to the Carolinas.
National Weather Service Charleston Meteorologist Jonathan Lamb said according to the smoke forecast, smoke is traveling into coastal South Carolina Thursday afternoon and into the evening.
In Beaufort County, residents and visitors “could see some smoke up in the sky,” Lamb said, adding that it could cause the sun to take on a slightly orange tinge. But concentrations will not be great enough that it would lead to dense smoke in the area, and county residents and visitors should “generally not worry” about potential health impacts, he said.
The meteorologist said he wasn’t aware of any air quality alerts that would be issued for Beaufort County. The National Weather Service issued air quality alerts for eight counties in the Pee Dee region on Thursday.
On Tuesday morning, the weather service began issuing alerts in South Carolina, during which time included several counties in the Midlands and Upstate regions.
Smoke can be particularly dangerous for people who are susceptible to respiratory issues, like asthmatics or people with lung or heart diseases.
According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, people with respiratory issues should limit time spent outside to avoid possible smoke. Windows and doors should remain closed to prevent smoke from getting in the home. If the home has central air conditioning, DHEC said to keep the fresh air intake closed and the filter clean to prevent smoke from creeping in.
This story was originally published June 8, 2023 at 11:37 AM.
