NC Wildfire Smoke Affecting Air in Historic Triangle

By Amber Lester Kennedy Wednesday, June 22, 2011

If you thought you smelled smoke today, you weren’t imagining it. Smoke from wildfires in North Carolina is affecting air quality in the Williamsburg area today.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued a Code Red air quality alert for Wednesday. To avoid overexposure, active children and adults should limit or reschedule strenuous outdoor activities. Groups that would be sensitive to air quality issues – including sufferers of heart or lung disease and asthma – should limit outdoor exposure today and tonight.

The smoke has also diminished visability, sometimes to two miles. Motorists are urged to use caution while traveling in Southeast Virginia and North Carolina.

The smoke is expected to dissipate throughout the day as south to southwest winds increase to 10 to 20 miles per hour.