DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Action Day In All 5 Air Quality Partnership Areas For Saturday, June 30

The Department of Environmental Protection and its regional air quality partnerships have forecast a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone in all 5 Air Quality Partnership areas for Saturday, June 30.  Those areas include--

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

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

-- 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.

Lots of sunshine, light southwesterly winds, and temperatures soaring to the middle 90s will cause ozone to rise to code ORANGE levels. Fine particulate will also break into the moderate zone as mixing will be limited.

Sunday's forecast: Rather hot on Sunday with sunshine for the most part and temperatures reaching the middle and upper 90s.

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.