Unhealthy air quality forcing some Middle Georgians to stay inside due to heavy smoke

As northwest winds funnel wildfire smoke into Middle Georgia, air quality has reached unhealthy levels.

As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, AirNow — a website that displays the Air Quality Index, shows Macon and surrounding counties have enough particulate matter and ozone to warrant an unhealthy designation.

About two-thirds of Georgia is in that designated area that stretches from the north border through Atlanta and Macon and as far south as Ben Hill County.

On a scale of 0 to 500, Macon ranks at 170, which is high enough for everyone to feel the effects.

AirNow’s forecast for Tuesday shows conditions improving for Middle Georgia, although the air quality is expected to still cause problems for those with health issues.

The National Weather Service expects the winds to spread smoke through the day, with the greatest impact along and east of a line from Rome to Atlanta to Macon.

Smokey conditions will likely continue into Wednesday as winds become more northerly but a slower speeds, which could lessen the impact in Middle Georgia.

Several wildfires are raging along the northern border of Georgia, plus fires north of Carrollton and south of Talladega, Alabama, are expected to affect communities west of Atlanta as far south as Columbus.

Anyone sensitive to smoke or who suffers from heart or lung ailments is encouraged to limit outdoor exposure for the next few days.

Although Macon-Bibb County firefighters answered multiple calls of difficulty breathing Tuesday morning, Coliseum Medical Centers has not seen a spike in emergency room visits.

Spokeswoman Jennifer Jones stated in an email that doctors are concerned as the “potential exists for aggravation of respiratory problems.”

Navicent Health also has not seen patients reporting smoke-related issues at Urgent Care Centers or at Medical Center, Navicent Health, spokeswoman Megan Allen stated in an email.

Monday, Georgia Health News reported significant increases in asthma-related emergency room visits in Dalton, Gainesville, Jasper and Metro Atlanta during heavy wildfire smoke.

The Georgia Department of Public Health could not conclude with certainty that the surge was directly attributed to smoke pouring in from North Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.

This story was originally published November 15, 2016 at 10:01 AM with the headline "Unhealthy air quality forcing some Middle Georgians to stay inside due to heavy smoke."