An air quality alert issued for New Jersey on Tuesday due to smoke from a massive wildfire in Nova Scotia, Canada remain in effect on Wednesday.
The “code orange” air quality alert means that air pollution concentrations could become unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children, people suffering from asthma heart disease or other lung diseases, and older senior citizens, the National Weather Service said.
Affected people are advised to remain indoors and avoid strenuous activity.
The alert issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection expires at midnight.
Forecasters are calling for partly sunny skies across the state Wednesday, with highs ranging from the upper 60s along the Jersey Shore to the upper 70s in inland areas. Haze and patchy smoke are expected to become more prevalent in the afternoon, because of winds from the east and northeast that are blowing the wildfire smoke over our region, the weather service said.
The Canadian wildfire — burning about 600 miles from Newark — has damaged about 200 houses and other structures and prompted the evacuation of 16,000 people in the coastal province
The area under mandatory evacuation orders covers about 38 square miles.
The forecast in Nova Scotia is calling for hotter weather on Wednesday and no rain until Friday at the earliest.
In New Jersey, skies should clear on Thursday as temperatures climb into the 80s. On Friday, highs will flirt with 90 before a cooler weekend with temps topping out in the 70s. Some rain is possible on Saturday, forecasters say.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.