PA Environment Digest

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UPDATED: Monday, July 2 Declared Code Orange Air Quality Action Day In Central, Eastern PA

The Department of Environmental Protection and its regional air quality partnerships have forecast a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone in Central and Eastern Pennsylvania for Monday, July 2. Those areas include--

-- Southcentral PA: Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York counties;

-- Lehigh Valley: Berks, Lehigh Northampton counties; and

-- Southeast PA: Bucks Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.

On Monday, expect the area of high pressure over the western Atlantic to remain in control of the weather across eastern PA. As a result, sunny skies and light southwesterly winds will force afternoon high temperatures into the mid-90s Fahrenheit.

The combination of the heat and humidity across eastern PA will lead to an increase in ozone levels, which is why the DEP is issuing an Air Quality Action Day for the areas listed above.

A cold front moving toward western PA will add cloud cover and rain chances, thus limiting ozone formation.

Over the next couple of days, air quality levels are likely to remain elevated. More clouds could factor in limiting ozone levels as we approach midweek. DEP will continue to monitor the situation closely and will issue Air Quality Action Days accordingly.

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 DEP’s regional air quality partnerships.

Check the PA Environment Digest Blog for updates through the weekend.

Visit DEP’s Air Quality Partnerships webpage for more information on air quality across Pennsylvania.

NewsClips:

DEP Issues Air Quality Advisory For Saturday In Southwest

Code Orange Air Quality Alert Issued For Central PA Counties

Heat, Sun Mean Poor Air Quality Saturday In York