Vermont didn't get the worst of wildfire smoke, but the state isn't in the clear yet

Vermont had an encounter with the orange haze settling over the area that New York City and even Washington, D.C., have begun to experience. The winds have shifted, but that doesn't mean Vermont is in the clear as Canadian wildfires continue to send massive smoke plumes into the air.

Across Burlington and greater Vermont on June 6, television station aerial cameras caught radical changes in skyline visibility and color and residents took to social media to share the orange sunlight filtering into their homes through windows. At that point air quality reached a level that was unhealthy for sensitive groups − children, elderly and those with breathing conditions.

Fortunately Vermont didn't peak near where New York City has. Burlington had an average one day air quality index of 102 which put it into the unhealthy for sensitive groups category, where the Big Apple reached 413, well into the hazardous range.

Will Vermont be under the wildfire smoke plume again?

Shifting winds are the major cause of where the smoke travels, but that makes long-term predictions difficult, according to Jessica Neiles, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Burlington. Unlike major storm systems or weather patterns which can be seen developing days out, winds can shift more rapidly. She said generally forecasters can predict about 18 hours out and wind direction is just one factor. Some types of air flow will cause the smoke to sit higher in the atmosphere while others allow the smoke to sink closer to to the ground, resulting in greater health impacts.

An unusually early fire season in Canada this year has seen more than 9 million acres burn among hundreds of wildfires spread east to west across the country. The largest concentration of fires are in Quebec, which borders Vermont. While the Green Mountain state has felt the effects, the most recent days have seen the plume skirting the edge of Vermont, or catching just southern section, in the Bennington area.

If the winds shift, Vermont could become engulfed again.

The concentration of rainfall in the forecast for much of the week has the potential to clear some of the air of smoke in the area. However, wildfire smoke has been known to prevent rain clouds from forming and reducing overall rainfall. What is needed most is rain over Canadian forests to help put out fires and saturate the ground and vegetation.

How is air quality measured in Vermont

In Vermont, there are four air quality monitoring stations operated by the Department of Environmental Conservation: Burlington in the north, Bennington in the south, Underhill for a representation of higher elevation and Rutland to provide information for mountain and valley areas.

Stations monitor pollutant particulates in the air and decide when an air quality alert should be issued, according to Bennet Leon, Air Quality Planning Section chief for the department. In the case of the wildfires, PM 2.5 is what the stations are picking up. These are particles that are less than 2.5 microns in size and associated with combustion − smoke or exhaust, for instance. The concern is these fine particles are small enough to be breathed in and passed into the bloodstream.

Air quality index is measured from 0 to 500. At 100 the air is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, at 151 it is unhealthy for everyone, at 200 it is very unhealthy and at 300 it is considered hazardous. The index is usually reported as a daily average, but that means there could be hours during the day when the level was considerably higher or lower.

Impact of Canadian wildfires on northeast U.S. air 'unprecedented'

Leon said there have been other wildfire smoke events that have affected the quality of Vermonter's air, notably events from 2002, 2013 and 2021. The one from 2002 fell over the Champlain Valley, which Burlingtonians may remember. However, none of those have compared with the concentration of particulate matter from this instance.

"This event is considered unprecedented among a group of northeast forecasters, some of which have decades of experiences," Leon said.

The fact that New York City hit an air quality index in the 400s is especially concerning. That coupled with the early fire season that had Canada reaching its annual fire averages right at the beginning of the season has climatologists sounding the alarm about climate change once again.

Get out those N95s again: What to do to protect yourself and others from poor air quality

How much you need to change your behavior due to air quality can be a personal choice and driven by factors such as health, age, how much time you spend outside and influenced by working conditions or outdoor activities.

There are broad recommendations, though, to help you make healthy choices according to each level on the air quality index. You can find a guide at https://www.airnow.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/air-quality-guide_pm_2015_0.pdf.

There is even guidance for when it is safe for school children to be outside, found at https://www.airnow.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/school-outdoor%20activity%20guidance.pdf.

For those who have N95 masks they stockpiled during the COVID pandemic, it may be time to bring them out again, especially while air quality index is in the "unhealthy" to "hazardous" zones.

Resources for managing smoke and other pollutants in the air, including how to protect your indoor air quality, can be found at https://www.airnow.gov/air-quality-and-health/fires-and-your-health/ and https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi?Dockey=P1001EX6.txt.

Air quality can shift from day to day. For those who are particularly sensitive, it may a good idea to regularly check the air quality index and adjust your activities outdoors and otherwise accordingly. AirNow.gov provides real-time results. You just need to put in your zip code and can look at current and recent conditions.

Generally, you can stay tuned to the National Weather Service which sends out alerts in a variety of channels. You can also sign up for text alerts through VT Alert. Air quality was added as an alert in 2022, so if you signed up prior to then, you may consider doing it again to get all the updates.

Contact reporter April Barton at abarton@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Wildfire smoke in Vermont: predictions and recommendations to stay safe