DEP: Warmer Weather to Bring Air Quality Action Days On Saturday And Sunday

The Department of Environmental Protection and its regional air quality partnerships have forecast air quality action days for Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, for several regions in Pennsylvania.

The air quality forecast predicts Saturday will be code ORANGE for ozone in the Philadelphia and Susquehanna Valley regions.

 

The air quality forecast predicts Sunday will be code ORANGE for ozone in the Berks/Lehigh, Pittsburgh and Susquehanna Valley Regions. There is the potential for the Philadelphia region to reach code ORANGE conditions on Sunday.

 

There is also the potential for unhealthy air conditions to continue across all regions into Monday.

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standardized air quality index uses colors to report daily air quality (green signifies good, yellow means moderate, orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive people, and red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all). Air quality action days are declared at orange and red when ozone reaches unhealthy levels.

 

The affected air quality regions include the following counties:

 

-- The Berks/Lehigh Valley region includes Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties;

 

-- The Susquehanna Valley region includes Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties;

 

-- The Philadelphia region includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties; and

 

-- The Pittsburgh region includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

 

Ground-level ozone, a key component of smog, forms during warm weather when pollution from vehicles, industry, households and power plants “bakes” in the hot sun, making it hard for some people to breathe.

 

On air quality action days, young children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.

 

To help keep the air healthy, residents and businesses are encouraged to voluntarily limit certain pollution-producing activities by taking the following steps: Ride the bus or carpool to work, Avoid burning leaves, trash and other materials, Wash dishes and clothes with full loads; and Save energy — do not overcool your home.

 

These forecasts are provided in conjunction with the Air Quality Partnership of the Delaware Valley, the Southwest Pennsylvania Air Quality Partnership, the Lehigh Valley/Berks Air Quality Partnership, and the Susquehanna Valley Air Quality Partnership.

 

For more information on ozone, visit the Air Quality Partnerships webpage and sign up to receive free daily forecasts by email.