Air quality maps: How to track conditions across Alabama

Air Quality Alerts are in effect for several counties in Alabama as a cold front moves south over the next few days, pushing smoke from Canadian wildfires farther south and east.Air Quality Alerts are in effect for the following counties for until 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 9:Jefferson CountyShelby CountyThe Alabama Department of Environmental Management recommends that people limit being outdoors, conserve electricity and avoid the use of gasoline and engine idling.More than 400 blazes burning across Canada have left 20,000 people displaced. The U.S. has sent more than 600 firefighters and equipment to Canada. Other countries are also helping.Weather | Radar | Hurricanes | Traffic | uLocal | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Canadian officials say this is shaping up to be the country's worst wildfire season ever. It started early on drier-than-usual ground and accelerated quickly. Smoke from the blazes has been flowing into the U.S. since last month but intensified with recent fires in Quebec.There are more than 150 active wildfires burning in Quebec this week, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center – more than double the number of fires burning in any other Canadian province.More than 400 wildfires have ignited across Quebec so far in 2023, twice the average for this time of year. Nearly 9 million acres have been charred by wildfires in Canada so far this year, with nearly half a million acres burned across Quebec alone.Video below: Timelapse video shows smoke engulfing NYC over a 3-hour periodWildfire smoke contains very tiny particulate matter, or PM2.5 – the tiniest pollutant yet also the most dangerous.When inhaled, it can travel deep into lung tissue and enter the bloodstream. It comes from sources like the combustion of fossil fuels, dust storms and wildfires and has been linked to a number of health problems, including asthma, heart disease and other respiratory illnesses.Millions of people die each year from air pollution-related health issues. In 2016, around 4.2 million premature deaths were associated with fine particulate matter, according to the World Health Organization.How to know the air quality in your areaKnowing the expected levels of air quality conditions where you are can help you plan and make the best possible decisions for you and your family.There are several options that will let you monitor those numbers.PurpleAir If you want to focus on smoke pollution specifically, PurpleAir makes a home device as well. But you don't have to purchase one in order to take advantage of air quality data from PurpleAir. The company makes real-time air quality measurements from existing devices available on its website. There are plenty of these monitors throughout Alabama. Check out the interactive map of air quality measurements in Alabama below.Can't see the map above? Click here.AirNow Another free air quality tracking tool comes straight from the Environmental Protection Agency itself. Apple and Android users can download the AirNow app for real-time air quality observations from hundreds of stations throughout the United States. The AirNow app also provides location-based air quality forecasts with notes on the expected primary pollutant.Check out the interactive map of air quality measurements in Alabama below.Can't see the map above? Click here.Canary ProIf you want to go high-tech, you can look into an all-in-one home security device. The Canary Pro is one option that can monitor threats that are both visible and invisible."It essentially allows you to track something you can see like a break-in as well as things you can't see but that can also have a significant impact on the health of our customers," said Sergio Flores, chief product officer for Canary.The Canary Pro includes a camera as well as a home climate monitoring device that tracks temperature, humidity and different pollutants including smoke, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide.It's important to note that the Canary Pro alerts users to air quality dangers based on changes relative to normal, not the Air Quality Index which is utilized by the Environmental Protection Agency. Flores recommends calibrating the device in a room with clean air for best results.Stay updated on the latest weather updates with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here and turn on weather alerts.