Air Quality Alert issued for Louisville and Indiana. What to know as haze returns

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is once again affecting air quality in Louisville and the surrounding area.

An Air Quality Alert was issued for the Louisville metro area and the state of Indiana Tuesday through Wednesday due to smoke drifting into the Ohio Valley, according to a report from the National Weather Service.

The National Air Quality Index also has Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky in the orange and red zones, indicating that the air is unhealthy, mainly for sensitive groups, including people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, pregnant people, and those who spend a lot of time outdoors.

Here's what you should do during unhealthy air quality conditions:

• Keep outdoor activities light and short.

• Consider moving all activities indoors.

• Go indoors if you have symptoms.

According to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, smoke from Canadian wildfires, which continues to travel south, is also causing hazy conditions to return to the region.

What is an air quality alert?

According to Columbia University, the EPA created the air quality index, or AQI, "to monitor and report on air quality each day and let people know about its possible health impacts."

Over 1,000 locations in the United States monitor and record the air for four significant pollutants: ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. An air quality index level of 100 is considered safe. An AQI under 100 is good or acceptable, and an AQI over 100 is cause for concern, especially for vulnerable groups. Levels over 300 indicate hazardous conditions.

Why is air quality poor in Kentucky?

Fires in the eastern Canadian province of Nova Scotia prompted air quality warnings last month in the U.S., with a forest fire in New Jersey adding to the air quality issues.

According to a report from CNN, at least 18,688,691 acres have already burned across Canada. The wildfires continue to rage across multiple provinces throughout the country, with at least 53 new wildland fires reported on Sunday, per the National Fire Situation Report from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

Detailed Louisville forecast

Thoughout the week Louisville residents and visitors can expect clear to partly cloudy skys, a shift from the rainy weather the area partook in this weekend.

Tuesday: Breezy northwest winds are expected Tuesday afternoon and will settle down toward sunset. The area is likely to see upper 70s to near 80 temperatures.

Wednesday: Skies will be partly sunny with temperatures warming into the mid 80s to around 90.

Thursday-Friday: Temperatures are forecast to warm into low to mid 90s. Heat index values may rise significantly during these days.

This story was originally published for the Cincinnati Enquirer and edited to reflect Louisville, Kentucky, weather and forecast.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Air Quality Alert issued for Louisville: Canada wildfires effects