Lexington Air Quality Index hits 106, unhealthy for sensitive groups

June 8, 2023

Hannah Woosley-Collins,

AQI Range

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — Lexington’s Air Quality Index hit 106 around 9 a.m. Thursday following a wave of haze billowing down throughout the eastern part of the U.S. from Canadian wildfires.

The 106 AQI puts Lexington in the orange category, signifying unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups.

Meteorologists are anticipating the haze will continue to push down through the U.S., persisting into Thursday evening and possibly the weekend.

The National Weather Service identifies the orange category, an AQI range of 101-150, as air quality that may affect members of sensitive groups. The general public is not likely to be affected.

Other AQI ranges are as follows:

0-50: Good (green) | Satisfactory, little or no risk
51-100: Moderate (yellow) | Acceptable, but moderate health concern for very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution for some pollutants
101-150: Unhealthy for sensitive groups (orange) | General public not likely to be affected. Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects
151-200: Unhealthy (red) | Everyone may begin experience health effects and sensitive groups more serious health effects
201-300: Very Unhealthy (purple) | Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects
301-500: Hazardous (maroon) | Health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected

Smoke in states like New York and New Jersey has caused a thick, hazardous haze of orange.

“I can taste the air,” Dr. Ken Strumpf said in a Facebook post from Syracuse, New York, where the sky took on the colorful nickname of the local university: Orange.

According to the AP, 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.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to President Joe Biden by phone on Wednesday. Trudeau’s office said he thanked Biden for his support and that both leaders “acknowledged the need to work together to address the devastating impacts of climate change.”