The Alabama Partners for Clean Air issued an Air Quality Alert this morning for Jefferson and Shelby Counties. It is a Code Red Alert for particle pollution.
Sam Bell, with that group, said that winds have carried smoke from the Georgia/Florida wildfires into the Birmingham area. At risk groups (children, the elderly and people with heart and lung diseases), are urged to take precautions for the rest of the day. Stay inside and no heavy exercise or work.
Some suggestions from the Alabama Partners for Clean Air:
1. Carpool or take the bus.
2. Combine errands into one trip.
3. Walk or ride a bike for short trips.
4. Limit idling of your engine and avoid drive throughs.
5. Mow the lawn on another day.
6. Don’t burn leaves or trash.
The smoke pall is by no means limited to Jefferson and Shelby County. It is rather widespread. Even over on the far west side of the state, in Lamar County, Tina Robertson, one of our readers, reports that they have the smoke and smell that goes with it. She reports that it is a strong haze of smoke that moved into the area during the night.
IN NW Alabama’s Marion County, the smoke in Winfield was reported as “thick and choking.”
I was out walking this morning and I noticed the most distinct smell of wood smoke that I have noticed in at least five years. Possibly as bad as the situation in the summers of 1952 and 1954. I even saw one man wearing a mask this morning.
(Be sure and scroll down to see the very interesting post by Jason Simpson concerning the smoke and haze and a satellite image.)
