These cities are under code purple, maroon for bad air quality

Air quality continues to worsen across the Northeast and Midwest as more than 800 Canadian wildfires rage on. As of Friday, July 17, air quality alerts remained in effect in multiple states, including parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas, according to the National Weather Service. Some of the worst conditions have been concentrated around Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago and New York in recent days. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) manages the Air Quality Index (AQI), a scale that ranges from 0 to 500 and measures how clean or polluted outdoor air is. Scores between 201 and 300 are coded purple and scores over 301 are coded maroon, both of which indicate a health risk to everyone, not just sensitive groups. Major cities under code purple, as of July 17: Baltimore, Cleveland, Flint, Michigan, Madison, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia. Major cities under maroon, as of July 17: Detroit, Duluth, Minnesota, Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Green Bay, Wisconsin. 201 to 300 (Purple): The risk of health effects is increased for everyone. 301 or higher (Maroon): Health warning of emergency conditions, as everyone is more likely to be affected.