Columbus air quality unhealthy for sensitive groups: See how we compare to other cities

Taijuan Moorman, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
June 7, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Smog from Candadian wildfires settles over Central Ohio Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Mandatory Credit: Doral Chenoweth-The Columbus Dispatch

The Columbus area will have to suffer with a few more days of hazy skies.

An air quality alert has again been extended for the area, with smoke from the Canadian wildfires continuing to make its way stateside.

While some parts of the country will see relief, AccuWeather reports some of the densest smoke may begin to be directed farther to the west on Thursday, "including locations such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Detroit."

The weather service reports that air quality will no longer be hazardous by Thursday night, but it will take until late Friday for significant improvement in some areas.

Columbus' air quality index is currently around 131, which is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. The National Air Quality Index scale runs from 0 to 500 and measures ozone and particle pollution.

But how does Columbus' air quality compare to other U.S. cities?

  • New York City: New York City has made headlines recently for its smoky skies caused by the smoke from the Canadian wildfires. The city's AQI is currently around 178, the highest in the world according to IQAir.

  • Akron: Akron is tied for the highest AQI of all cities in Ohio, at 155.

  • Willoughby Hills: Willoughby Hills, at 155, also has the highest AQI in Ohio.

  • Warren: Warren has the second-highest AQI in Ohio, at 154.

  • Whitehouse: Whitehouse has the fourth highest AQI of cities in Ohio, at 152.

  • Pennsylvania: Eight cities in Pennsylvania are in the top 10 AQIs for all U.S. cities, all of which are in the hazardous AQI range, including cities like Gordonville, York, Hebron and Lebanon.

AQI numbers are accurate at the time of publishing, but do fluctuate.

tmoorman@dispatch.com

@taijuannichole

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus air quality unhealthy for sensitive groups: See how we compare