Hello PyOhio Community!

It's almost time for PyOhio 2026, but we thought we'd call your attention to something important if you're planning to attend this year.

Canadian Wildfires

Recent wildfires in Canada have been having an adverse effect on the air quality in the northern areas of Ohio, including Cleveland. We're writing to let you know, in case you haven't been following this, so you can understand the situation and take appropriate precautions for your own health needs.

The venue where PyOhio is hosted at Cleveland State University uses modern air filtration systems, so we do not expect any air quality issues indoors, but when you leave the venue to find lunch or dinner, or return to your hotel, the increased smoke in the air may affect you.

Stay Informed

While we're not air quality experts ourselves, there are a variety of sources you can use to check on the AQI periodically and take appropriate precautions.

AccuWeather attempts to make an air quality forecast for several days ahead, so you can examine this to determine the level of the air quality in the Cleveland area prior to each day at the event. https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/cleveland/44113/air-quality-index/350127

Additional sources provide an up-to-date realtime view of the air quality in the area, and may provide some forecasting as well:

Air Now: https://www.airnow.gov/

Fire Smoke: https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/

Stay Safe

We are of course thrilled that you're attending PyOhio 2026, but we also want you to remain safe. Please consider wearing a mask or taking other precautionary measures when walking outdoors around Cleveland, especially if you might have a health condition that affects your respiratory system. We are not medical professionals, so if you have any specific concerns, please speak with your health care provider. We will have a limited stock of N95/KN95 masks available at check-in, but we cannot guarantee availability for all attendees.

We're looking forward to seeing everyone, so please stay safe and stay healthy as you attend!

-- PyOhio 2026 Organizers