A THICK and very hazardous blanket of smoke has covered Tamworth and the region.
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Strong winds have pushed smoke from surrounding bushfires into the region giving Tamworth some of the poorest air quality in the state.
Early on Thursday morning, the state government's air quality index (AQI) showed Tamworth's pollution concentration was more than double hazardous benchmarks.
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In Armidale, the situation was even more dire.
The Office of Environment and Heritage stated Armidale's pollution was more than seven-times higher than hazardous levels.
Health authorities advise people to avoid outdoor activity as much as possible in these conditions.
Northern NSW Football has cancelled the Newcastle Permanent Masterclass in Tamworth tonight due to the hazardous air quality.
Tamworth Netball Association has cancelled all junior games, but senior mixed teams will make their own call on whether to play.
The Tamworth Touch football association has cancelled all of its games tonight and future games will be a day-to-day prospect.
Firefighters battling blazes in the region's north expected the smoke to hang around for a few days until a significant changes moves through.
Difficult wind conditions made it challenging for firefighters to contain an outbreak on the Moonbi fire near Tamworth on Thursday.
The wind also contributed to the smoke haze over Tamworth.
The haze was compounded by high temperatures in Tamworth where the mercury climbed to 37 degrees.
Friday was expected to be a scorcher as well, but there was an increased possibility of thunderstorms on the weekend. Temperatures were expected to dip down to the low-30s by Sunday.
To date, top temperatures in Tamworth this November have been 1.9 degrees higher than the long term average.
There has only been 19.2mm of rain recorded this month, which is less than a quarter of the city's long-term mean.