The best way to protect yourself from poor air quality is to stay indoors, especially when the Air Quality Index reaches above 101.

The high temperatures combined with "low level smoke" led the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to issue a Code Orange air quality alert and "action day" for Tuesday in Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and Delaware counties.

The alert from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which is in effect from 10 a.m. to midnight, includes the Capital Region, Adirondacks, Hudson Valley, New York City and