People in the Valley affected by the haze from Canadian wildfires

AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) - People in the Shenandoah Valley are feeling the effects of the haze from Canadian wildfires.

Bradley Dunsmore is a farmer in Augusta County. He said the preliminary effects of the haze are already showing in the crop harvests. He said the haze is blocking sunlight, causing more harm than good for the harvest.

“Farmers that are trying to make hay, the smokes really not a good thing for them trying to dry their hay,” Dunsmore said. “It’s really limiting the power of the sun, especially yesterday [June 06] afternoon. I think we’re supposed to be under the same conditions today [June 07] and tomorrow,[June 07] so it’s going to make drying hay very, very difficult.”

Dunsmore said if pastures don’t get the right sunlight and rainfall, farmers will have to start feeding hay to livestock. He said this is normal for later in the season when the summer heat is in full swing, but “scary” to be this early in the season.

Dunsmore said to get the most out of hay, it needs to dry as fast as possible. With the sun being blocked, farmers are seeing hay bales drying much slower than usual.

Not only are farmers a risk because of the haze but so are people with pulmonary conditions like COPD and Emphysema. These conditions already have underlying respiratory issues and the haze can heighten people’s symptoms.

Kristen Hom, DO, is a physician with Sentara RMH and she said that air quality can affect everybody, but the primary demographics that should be extra cautious are older adults, children, and pregnant women.

“The lower air quality especially when it comes to wildfires contains really small particular matter that can enter people’s airways and cause irritation and inflammation,” Hom said. “People who already have sensitive airways like those who have Emphysema, COPD, and Asthma can see exacerbation of their symptoms.”

Hom said people with underlying respiratory conditions should plan their days accordingly to avoid inhaling low-quality air.

You can track weather patterns and air quality indexes on the WHSV weather app and weather page on the WHSV website.

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