DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Action Day In Pittsburgh On Friday, June 29

The Department of Environmental Protection and its regional air quality partners have forecast a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone in the Pittsburgh Region on Friday, June 29.  Those areas include--

-- Liberty-Clairton: Liberty, Clairton, Port Vue, Lincoln, Glassport, Allegheny County; and

-- Southwest PA: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland counties.

On Friday, a strong ridge of high pressure building into the eastern U.S. will create light surface west to southwest winds, sunshine, and temperatures approaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Ozone levels will rise to the code ORANGE range in the areas listed above.

These meteorological conditions are likely to persist for multiple days as the high-pressure ridge remains entrenched along the eastern seaboard. Therefore, DEP is likely to extend the Air Quality Action Day notifications through early next week.

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.

This forecasts are provided in conjunction with the Southwestern PA Air Quality Partnership, Inc..

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