Wildfire smoke triggers Code Orange alert in Richmond

Driving the news: More than 800 fires are burning across Canada, and the smoke has been drifting south and east all week, entering Richmond on Thursday.

• The hazy conditions started affecting metro Richmond Thursday afternoon, per the NWS, putting the region under a "Code Orange" air quality alert, which could elevate to a "Code Red" on Friday, per Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
• Under Orange, sensitive people — including children, the elderly and folks with breathing conditions — should try to limit any outdoor exertion. Under Red, they should avoid it, and everyone should limit outdoor exertion.
• Visibility is also affected, potentially falling to 1–3 miles Friday as the smoke falls to the surface. That's down from 7 miles of visibility on Thursday.

Yes, but: There's some good news: The haze should help hold down temperatures on Friday, per the NWS.

• The high temperature is expected to be 94 degrees with a heat index high of 99 — both lower than the forecast earlier in the week.

What's next: The haze should move out by Saturday, but the heat will return with a high that will feel like of 106 degrees.

The bottom line: It's still summer in Richmond, but since complaining about the weather is one of our favorite local sports, we've got plenty of fodder this year.