Code Red air quality alert in Harford County due to Canadian wildfire smoke

On Wednesday, you could feel the poor air quality. Yesterday, you could see the smoke from Canadian wildfires. Today in Harford County, you can smell the smoke.

What’s happening: The Maryland Department of the Environment has issued a Code Red air quality alert — meaning pollution levels are unhealthy for everyone, not just sensitive groups — for both portions of Harford County through midnight Friday night. Northwest Harford falls under the alert covering the Northern Baltimore region. Southeast Harford falls under the alert covering Northeast Maryland, which also includes Cecil County.

How bad is it: A Code Red is one step below the worst level on the air quality scale. It means fine particles from wildfire smoke have built up enough in the air to affect any resident who spends time outside, not just those with health conditions. Elsewhere in Maryland, conditions are even worse — Western Maryland and the Hagerstown area are under a Code Purple alert, which means air quality is very unhealthy for the general population.

What this means for you: Health officials say everyone should avoid strenuous outdoor activity for the rest of the day. If you or someone in your household has asthma, heart disease, or another lung or heart condition, staying indoors is the safest option until the alert expires.

The path forward: All alerts across Maryland expire at midnight Friday night. This is the third consecutive day Harford County has dealt with degraded air quality from Canadian wildfire smoke.