Air Quality Alert Issued for Tri-Cities Region
The entire Tri-Cities region in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia is experiencing unhealthy air quality, with some areas considered harmful for everyone. The poor air quality is attributed to smoke from ongoing Canadian wildfires. Sensitive groups, including people with heart or lung diseases, asthma, older adults, children, and teenagers, are advised to avoid strenuous activities and spend less time outdoors. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Kingsport was 128, categorized as unhealthy for sensitive groups. A small portion of Lee County, Virginia, near the Tennessee border, has been marked as red, indicating unhealthy air quality for all groups.