Burlington, VT – The poor air quality at the Burlington Waterfront is also creating poor visibility looking across Lake Champlain, making it difficult to see typical landmarks such as the Adirondacks.

Despite the poor air quality, people are still making their way to the Burlington Waterfront.

“I thought it was just overcast. That’s not super new for me coming from Seattle. It happens a lot, so it just felt like home,” said University of Vermont student Ella Powell.

“It’s a little bit of a bummer because you come out here and part of the walk is enjoying the scenery, enjoying the view,” said frequent visitor to the Burlington Waterfront Shane Beam.

“I could definitely feel it. I walk down this way by the waterfront every day. So, I could feel it more than usual. It’s definitely there. There is a difference, so I’ll end my walk and hope there aren’t any side effects,” said Beam.

Katie Von Braun and Ben Weiss traveled from New York hoping to experience Vermont’s outdoors.

“It’s frustrating. We were hoping for beautiful weather and were hoping for sunny days to go hiking. But it may be raining. But we’re looking to make the most out of our vacation,” said Braun and Weiss. Despite this, Braun and Weiss said they’re used to it.

“We live in New York, so we’re constantly surrounded by fumes, and we still go about our day,” said Braun and Weiss.

“My boyfriend is a forestry major, and he said there is a crazy wildfire happening, and I was like, word, I’m going to jump in the lake. I still would’ve gone into the water to be honest though, it was cold and refreshing but it was good,” said Powell and Mckenna Weston, also a UVM student.

The news of the poor air quality took them by surprise.

“That really sucks to hear. I’ve lived here my whole life and never really heard issues about air quality,” said Powell and McKenna.

Our Skytracker Meterologists will continue to monitor air quality conditions.

“No concerns right now, but if it continues, it’s definitely something where I’d walk inside just to mitigate any health concerns potentially,” said Beam.

The National Weather Service in Burlington issued an air quality alert until midnight Tuesday in Vermont and New York.