The Department of Environmental Protection and the Air Quality Partnership have forecast Saturday, June 17 will be a Code Orange Air Quality Action for ozone in Southwest Pennsylvania, including the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland.

Hot and humid conditions with light southwest winds will send temperatures close to 90 degrees Saturday afternoon across western PA. Ozone levels will rise to the code ORANGE range in the areas listed above. These concentrations should improve to the moderate range by Sunday as southwest winds increase and there is a better chance for afternoon thunderstorms.

There will be no action day forecast required for the Susquehanna or Lehigh Valleys as we will start Saturday with clouds and a shower, then there is a greater chance for thunder to develop in the late afternoon/early evening in these areas. Therefore, only moderate concentrations are expected across central-eastern PA.

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

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.

To help keep the air healthy, residents and business are encouraged to voluntarily restrict certain pollution-producing activities by:

-- Refueling cars and trucks after dusk

-- Setting air conditioner thermostats to a higher temperature

-- Carpooling or using public transportation; and

-- Combining errands to reduce trips.

These forecasts are provided in conjunction with Air Quality Partnerships for Pittsburgh and Liberty-Clairton.

For more information, visit DEP’s Air Quality Partnership webpage.

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[Posted: June 16, 2017]

6/19/2017