It was an overcast day. June 8th and the weather outside my rear sunroom at Woodcrest Villa is looks threatening. The past day or two have been a bit overcast being we have been going through a historical pall that has covered Lancaster County and most neighboring counties. A haze has been with us since this past Thursday, as smoke from Canadian wildfires have choke skies along the East Coast of the United States. Visibility is poor and a distinct smell akin to a Boy Scout campfire has settled in. A few Major League Baseball games were postponed and many of the residents in Woodcrest Villa have confined themselves to the indoors. Almost all nearby local communities have registered high pollution levels spurring adjustment to outdoor plans and trying to stay indoors as best they can. Local air was rated "hazardous" this past Thursday and I have rated the air around my home awful. According to local Millersville University Weather Information Center, the concentration of smoke particles in the air was so thick this past Thursday morning the its meteorological instruments registered the air as mist. Air pollution measured 457 on the 500-point PM2.5 scale, leading federal climate official to issue their most severe code maroon warning, for air they categorize as "hazardous" to human health. On a typical day, the rating would be in the zero to 50 range. I ventured out yesterday to pick up my mail at the Villa's main office and made the mistake of walking to the center instead of driving to it. By the time I got to the main center it was a bit harder to breathe. By the time I got back to my villa I had to sit down and relax for over an hour before my breathing was back to normal. The newspaper reported that the local pools had been closed for the day and day care centers moved all children indoors. That was two days ago as of today and I can tell the biggest difference today. The atmosphere still seems to be overcast, but I can breathe much easier than I could the past day or so. If you live along the northern East coast, I'm sure you could tell a difference in air quality. The smoke from the Canadian wildfires has begun to dissipate and the hazardous air quality has begun to disappear. I never witnessed air quality as bad as what Lancaster County experienced, as well as the United States' entire East Coast. Our local State College, Millersville State University, reported the concentration of smoke particles in the air was so thick that its meteorological instruments registered the air as mist. Air pollution measured 457 on the 500-pint PM2.5 scale, leading federal climate officials to issue there most severe code warning for air they categorize as "hazardous" to human health. On a typical day, the rating wold be in the 0 to 50 range. My wife and I tried to remain inside our villa, but we did have to run a few errands which we did quickly so we could return inside. I'm sure many people weren't as lucky as my wife and myself and had to be outside in the hazardous weather. I must admit that I never experienced weather as poor as what we had for a few days. Hope it never happens again. It certainly wasn't another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy!
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