TAMPA, Fla. — Some of the worst air quality in the U.S. is in Tampa Bay following an evening of patchy fog combined with New Year's Eve fireworks.
As of this writing, much of the Florida peninsula has an air quality of "unhealthy," according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection via AirNow.gov.
This category means that people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should avoid strenuous outdoor activities and keep any outdoor activities to a minimum. Recommendations for everyone else include choosing less strenuous activities, such as walking instead of running, if outdoors.
An air quality index between 0-50 is "good," 51-100 is "moderate," 101-150 is "unhealthy for sensitive groups" and 151-200 is "unhealthy." Much of Florida has surpassed a value of 151.
The National Weather Service on Sunday made mention of an uptick in moisture close to the Earth's surface. That, in addition to fireworks smoke, had the potential to lead to patchy fog.
Forecasters expect the fog to dissipate into the day Monday, with improving air quality conditions heading into Tuesday.
In 2023, smoke from Canadian wildfires traveled south and impacted much of the eastern U.S. A doctor who spoke with 10 Tampa Bay explained smoky conditions could cause people with sensitives to experience symptoms ranging anywhere from itchy eyes and congestion to difficulty breathing.
"It's a very small molecule and it actually is able to enter through our eyes, our nasal mucus, and our lungs," said Dr. Mona Mangat, a specialist with Bay Area Allergy and Asthma. "Everybody is going to be affected differently. But patients that have underlying respiratory diseases or cardiac disease are going to be affected more than other people."