CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to drift in and smother the U.S., many Americans are wondering if or when it’s safe to go outside.
Fortunately, there’s a simple technology to answer that question.
A free website named AirNow provides live air quality information from any location -- from city, state, national and world levels. AirNow measures each region by using a color-coded Air Quality Index (AQI), which ranges from green (good) to maroon (hazardous). AQI also assigns numeric values to each level.
Cleveland, for example, has an AQI of 157 as of 10:15 a.m. Thursday morning, which falls in the red “unhealthy” level. New York City, meanwhile, currently registers a 199 AQI, which is just below the “very unhealthy” range of 201-300.
A “good” AQI ranges from 0-50, “moderate” from 51-100, “unhealthy for sensitive groups” from 101-150, and “hazardous” from 301 and above.
AirNow’s outdoor activity guidance recommends any region measuring a red “unhealthy” AQI of 150 or above - which Cleveland and New York City both currently are - consider moving intense outdoor activities indoors or rescheduling them to another day or time.
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AirNow also includes an interactive map, which allows you to zoom in or out for real-time data, and also tracks smoke forecasts.
AirNow is a partnership of the Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state, local, and tribal air quality agencies, according to its website.
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