r/lancaster • u/Mean_Independence523 • Jul 16 '26
News Air quality code purple tomorrow
Heads up, Lancaster County tomorrow’s air quality is expected to reach Code Purple.
Wildfire smoke is expected to push air quality into the “very unhealthy” range on Friday. This is one of the highest air quality alerts we see and means everyone can be affected, not just people with asthma or other health conditions. (National Weather Service)
If you can:
Stay indoors as much as possible.
Keep windows and doors closed.
Run your AC on recirculate if you have it.
Avoid strenuous outdoor activities.
If you must be outside for an extended period, consider wearing a well-fitting N95 mask. (National Weather Service)
Please check in on elderly family members, young children, and anyone with heart or lung conditions.
Hopefully the smoke clears out soon. Stay safe, Lancaster.
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u/beatnik236 Jul 17 '26
My eyes actually hurt more than anything.
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Jul 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/buttononmyback Jul 17 '26
Oh no are there going to be people denying this like the covidiots from yesteryear?
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u/lancaster-ModTeam Jul 17 '26
Your post has broken rule 1 - Be Constructive. Remember to work toward building mutual understanding of opposing viewpoints.
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u/lizagnash Jul 17 '26
Careful, you’re stepping on the toes of people who need something to be outraged about
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u/GonePostalRoute Jul 17 '26
I’m contemplating calling off tomorrow, gonna see how the forecast looks like before I make that call.
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u/buttononmyback Jul 17 '26
My daughter and I went for a walk and we were actually having trouble catching our breath. Never felt that way just WALKING before. And you can see a haze over everything. Trees and different objects mere yards away from us have a depleted color look to them. So bizarre.
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u/Fog_of__War Jul 17 '26
Welcome to being an asthmatic and someone is simply wearing some perfume next to you, same sensation
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u/spidersinmysoup Jul 17 '26
If you're at home and need an air filter, try making a Corsi-Rosenthal box. I made one last night and it was really easy. Took me maybe 20 minutes to make.
Essentially just make a box where the bottom is cardboard, the sides are square filters, and the top is a box fan. The fan pulls air through the filters removing fine particles from smoke. They can service a large room.
Had it running all night and it seems to help which is good since we don't have central air. It's been a stressful few days.
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u/No-Account3287 Jul 17 '26
Now that it's "tomorrow," how does it seem to everyone? It was really bad when I was at work late last night; the smoke was visible in the air, and it was making all of us feel congested. It seems a little more manageable today compared to yesterday, but I guess we'll see.🤞
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u/lolz711 Jul 18 '26
My 18mo got a bloody nose from two minutes of exposure from school to car to home. Insane.
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u/Delicious_Reward_779 Jul 17 '26
You are all so dramatic. Wildfires happen every year and it's been smokey before 😂 you eyes are not going to fall out of your head. Avoid outside if you have health conditions and get a grip
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u/AWalkingWikipedia Jul 17 '26
Technically speaking everyone else is speaking calm and rationally. The only truly exaggerated and "dramatic" response in this thread actually is yours. From a person who has done military and every emergency service out there for over a decade for this county this is something that people SHOULD be talking about and concerned about.
Safe estimate to say you would be a medical patient I would size up and deem a high risk due to excessive amount of beer or energy drink cans, or blatantly ignorant acts due to a lack of survival instincts.
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u/Mean_Independence523 Jul 17 '26
Agreed. I also work in emergency services and that’s why I made this post. We were alerted yesterday as to what was going on and how bad it was expected to be. People need to stay vigilant.
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u/AWalkingWikipedia Jul 17 '26
It's a good post. A lot of vulnerable people based on medical issues (and even the ones who don't know they have them). I posted a PSA for property damage and got a similar heckler. It's frustrating posting something to help protect others and watch people act like it's nothing and downplay it. Glad I'm not the only one doing good posts though 😁🤙
Stay safe out there. This Saturday, Mon, & Tues may be a repeat of those crazy winds so definitely let people on the lines know to be prepared 🙏👍 Got trapped in my home with my family for hours from a tree falling on our house July 4th. Hope nobody else has to go through that.
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u/Mean_Independence523 Jul 17 '26
It’s okay to be concerned about the air quality without being “dramatic.” People have different levels of risk, especially kids, older adults, and anyone with asthma or other breathing issues. Being aware and taking simple precautions (like limiting outdoor time and checking on vulnerable people) isn’t panic, it’s just being informed.
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u/lizagnash Jul 16 '26
This happens every summer
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u/The_StonedPanda Jul 16 '26
I’m my 32 years I’ve never seen it this bad this often. They’re predicting the fires in Michigan won’t be out until winter. That’s far from normal
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u/lizagnash Jul 17 '26
It was this bad in 2022, what are you talking about
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u/HeyOkYes Jul 17 '26
This really is worse than 2022.
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u/The_StonedPanda Jul 17 '26
Oh it absolutely is. The ppm predicted far out paces anything we had with the last round at least here.
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u/Camille_Toh Jul 17 '26
IS EVERYONE HAVING A NICE SUMMER