Central Ohio air quality alerts stayed in place on Thursday as wildfire smoke from Canadian fires kept an Air Quality Alert active for all of Ohio. Hazy skies reached Columbus, and reduced visibility affected the day at times.
People in Ohio with asthma or other respiratory issues faced the worst of the poor air quality. Temperatures in Columbus slowly fell through the 80s Thursday evening before settling into the lower 70s overnight.
Columbus Thursday evening
Canadian smoke was expected to keep conditions hazy early on Saturday, with reduced air quality still a concern into Saturday morning. The forecast also called for Saturday to turn hot and humid, with afternoon highs near 90.
Later on Saturday, scattered thunderstorms were expected to develop, and some of those storms could become severe. The primary threats were damaging winds, heavy rain, and localized flash flooding.
Saturday and Sunday
The storms could help clear some of the smoke out of the area, which would improve air quality after the alert-driven stretch. By Sunday, noticeably drier air was expected behind the cold front, along with sunshine and highs in the low-mid 80s.
That improvement would not end the unsettled pattern for long. Another cold front was expected to arrive on Tuesday and bring another chance for showers and thunderstorms, with some storms again capable of heavy rainfall and gusty winds before cooler air settled in.
Tuesday cold front
For people in Ohio, the practical shift is a short window of poorer air followed by a brief cleanup from Saturday storms and a better Sunday. Those with asthma or other respiratory issues would have the earliest reason to limit exposure while the smoke lingered into Saturday morning.
