Air Quality today is CODE PURPLE

Harrisburg, PA –The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a statewide Code Purple Air Quality Alert for particulate matter (PM2.5) for Friday, July 17, 2026.  

Wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota will blanket Pennsylvania on Friday, creating Code Purple concentrations of PM2.5.

Residents are strongly encouraged to check www.airnow.gov(opens in a new tab) for current conditions in their area. Current local conditions could be more severe (Code Maroon) or less severe (Code Red or Code Orange) depending on your location at any given time. Residents should make informed decisions on their outdoor activity based on the conditions at the time.

During Code Purple Air Quality Alerts all residents should avoid long or intense outdoor activities, and sensitive groups such as children, elderly residents, and those with respiratory illnesses should avoid all outdoor activities. All residents are encouraged to move activities indoors.

Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Alert areas are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce fine particulate matter air pollution by:

• Avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment

• Avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash, and other materials

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality; Yellow means moderate air quality; Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all. An Air Quality Alert is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher.

For more information about air quality, visit DEP’s Air Quality Partnership Home Page(opens in a new tab) and EPA’s AirNow(opens in a new tab).