Bad news for those with asthma, emphysema, or other breathing difficulties as our region has the worst air quality in the nation this morning. According to the EPA and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, there are unhealthy concentrations of particulate matter and ozone. A lot of this is due to ongoing wildfires in Western Canada. Here at WQAD News 8, there is a definite smell of smoke in the air.
Visibilities are restricted, partly due to fog, but mostly because of the smoke. It's not very often that the Quad Cities leads Los Angeles in smog, but we've got it this morning. The good news is this isn't expected to last more than 12 hours. In the meantime, if you have health problems, remain inside in the air conditioning and limit exertion.
-Meteorologist Eric Sorensen
