Air Quality Alert Extends Into Tuesday Due To Unhealthy Levels Of Haze, Smoke In Air

BOSTON (CBS) - An air quality alert has been extended to noon Tuesday across Massachusetts because of unhealthy levels of haze and smoke in the air.

Several fire departments were flooded with phone calls from the public Monday about the smoke and were concerned it was from nearby fires. The haze and smoke are in fact from the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

As the raging wildfires out west continue to burn, the smoke plumes reaching higher altitudes of the atmosphere settle in New England. The thickest smoke (indicated by the purple hues in the map above) will likely skirt our region. But if you suffer from asthma, respiratory issues, lung or heart disease, this will be a threat to you Tuesday. Even those in good health should limit strenuous outdoor activity. Reserve the longer runs for Wednesday and Thursday.

Some spotty showers and thunderstorms are expected Tuesday evening. This will help alleviate some of the smoke and the haze shouldn't be as bad in the coming days.