Wildfire smoke triggers air quality alert across Charlotte area

CHARLOTTE — Wildfire smoke from fires across the Southeast could create air quality concerns across the Charlotte metro area as we end the week.

A Code Orange Air Quality Alert is in place for much of the metro area until 8 p.m. Thursday. People who have respiratory issues should be mindful of the reduced air quality and limit time outdoors.

Dr. Michael Fitch, a professor of Emergency Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, says people should stay alert for symptoms like coughing or feeling short of breath. Those with underlying conditions should be especially cautious.

“If you have underlying medical conditions like asthma or COPD you may notice working a little bit harder to breathe, you may have wheezing ... The kinds of things that would let you know if you do have a respiratory underlying condition, that it might be time to take one of those rescue medications,” Fitch told Channel 9.

If you are looking to limit your exposure to pollutants, Dr. Fitch recommends using an N-95 mask.

“An N-95 mask is actually very efficient at filtering those things out,” he says. “But if you have an underlying medical condition like COPD or asthma, make sure you talk to your doctor first before you make a decision to wear a mask outdoors, because sometimes those, in and of themselves, can make it challenging to breathe, as well.”

The wildfires popping up across the Southeast are occurring as we see the historic drought continue to worsen. In the Carolinas, extreme drought continues to expand through the mountains and Foothills with the latest drought monitor update Thursday.

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The forecast remains dry through the end of the week; however, a pattern change will bring some much-needed rain over the weekend. And while that is a hopeful sight, experts caution that we need a lot of rain to fix the drought and dampen any wildfire concerns.

“To really make a dent in this drought and its impacts, we will need to get consistently above-normal rainfall, that means 1.5 to 2 inches every week, and we know this time of the year that’s tougher to come by,” says Corey Davis, assistant state climatologist for the State Climate Office of North Carolina.

“More of our rain comes from those pop-up showers and thunderstorms. Those might drop an inch over your house and nothing to your neighbors across town. So, we know it’s a tough ask to get that sort of widespread, consistent rainfall, but even average rainfall over the next couple of months would help to stop the bleeding of this drought,” he says.

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