Harrisburg, PA –The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for particulate matter for Saturday June 14, 2025, in the Philadelphia area (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties).
Residents are strongly encouraged to check www.airnow.gov for current conditions in their area.
Significant smoke impacts have been seen due to an atmospheric inversion which kept fine particles (PM2.5) close to the ground. Area AQI values had several hours in the red (unhealthy for all), purple (very unhealthy) and/or maroon (hazardous) categories, but the numbers have started to decrease.
The impacts were caused by an inversion combined with northeast winds bringing in smoke from wildfires in New Jersey. Warmer air aloft over cooler air at the surface trapped particles at ground-level, causing the high hourly readings.
On a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.
Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Action Day areas are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce fine particulate matter air pollution by:
- Reducing or eliminating fireplace and wood stove use;
- Avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash, and other materials; and
- Avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality; Yellow means moderate air quality; Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all. An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher.
For more information, visit DEP at www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/AQPartnersWeb, EPA’s AirNow at www.airnow.gov.
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