Smoke from fires outside the state will continue to choke Colorado through at least Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.
Smoke entering Colorado from wildfires in Wyoming and Idaho prompted multiple air quality warnings in the Front Range and Eastern Plains on Tuesday.
NWS forecasters have a Air quality alarm for Douglas, Jefferson, Denver, Arapahoe, Adams, Broomfield, Boulder, Larimer and Weld counties from 4 p.m. Monday to 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Around 7 a.m., forecasters issued a second air quality warning for Sedgwick, Logan, Phillips, Morgan, Yuma, Washington, Kit Carson, Lincoln and Cheyenne counties in northeastern Colorado. The warning is active from 7 a.m. Tuesday to 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Areas near Littleton, Colorado Springs and Aurora reported AQIs of around 105 and Parker saw AQIs of nearly 120, according to AirNow’s fire and smoke card Tuesday morning.
To the east, both Fort Morgan and Sterling reported an AQI of 105 Tuesday morning and Hugo, a city in Lincoln County, reported an AQI of nearly 120, according to the map.
The AQI measurement system reports daily air pollution levels. In general, AQIs are of:
- Zero to 50 indicates good air quality;
- 51 to 100 indicate moderate air quality;
- 101 to 150 indicate air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups;
- 151 to 200 indicate unhealthy air quality for the general population;
- 201 to 300 indicate very unhealthy air quality;
- 301 and higher indicate hazardous air quality.
“If smoke in your area is thick or getting thick, you may want to stay indoors,” NWS forecasters said in the air quality alerts. “…Like
visibility in your area is less than 5 miles, the smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy.”
People with heart and respiratory conditions, children and older adults are most affected by the poor air quality, NWS officials said.
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