air pollution Archives - Clean Air Board of Central Pennsylvania

DEP declares statewide Code Orange Alert for July 17

July 16, 2023/in Air Quality Action Day/by Clean Air Board

DEP Declares Statewide Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for Fine Particulate Matter for July 17, 2023

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a statewide Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for fine particulate matter July 17, 2023, in Pennsylvania.

Smoke from wildfires is expected to impact Pennsylvania air quality throughout the day and will likely contribute to daily average concentrations of fine particulate matter in the Code Orange range on Monday. On an hourly basis, a number of locations may see a rise in concentrations that are at levels in the lower end of the Code Red/Unhealthy range for several hours. Residents are encouraged to check www.airnow.gov for current conditions in their area.

On a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day, 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.

DEP extends Code Red Air Quality Alert to June 29

June 28, 2023/in Air Quality Action Day/by Clean Air Board

A(n) Air Quality Action Day has been declared for Susquehanna Valley Area, PA, on Thursday, Jun 29

Tomorrow’s Forecast
Thursday, Jun 29:	178 AQI	Unhealthy	Particle Pollution (2.5 microns)
	85 AQI	Moderate	Ozone

Extended Forecast
Friday, Jun 30:	100 AQI	Moderate	Particle Pollution (2.5 microns)
	93 AQI	Moderate	Ozone

Current Conditions as of 2 PM on Wednesday: A departing area of low pressure and an area of high pressure building over the region have created conditions that are transporting smoke southward from wildfires in eastern Canada into the region. As a result, air quality conditions have become quite poor across the area since early this morning. Unfortunately, unhealthy levels of air quality will continue Thursday and at least early Friday before unsettled weather returns to help at least temporarily improve conditions through the weekend. *** Thursday’s Forecast: Wildfire smoke will continue to blanket the region on Thursday leading to another day with unhealthy levels of air quality. Warmer air lifting northward aloft will contribute to the development of another overnight temperature inversion. How strong this inversion becomes will be dependent on how cool overnight temperatures at the surface become. High pressure will provide minimal cloud cover which is typically favorable for better radiational cooling during the overnight hours. A layer of wildfire smoke, however, can sometimes act like a blanket of cloud cover over the region, thus limiting that radiational cooling to some degree. Whether it is a strong inversion or weak inversion that develops tonight, the result will still be unhealthy levels of air quality with concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM-2.5) remaining elevated. Winds look to be light for the day so even after the temperature inversion breaks during the morning hours mixing will be very limited. A CODE RED Air Quality Action Day is declared for Thursday for PM-2.5 due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires.

* Current air quality monitoring data for the Susquehanna Valley Area and other locations across Pennsylvania can be found at the EPA’s AirNow Interactive Map.

DEP declares Air Quality Action Day for June 28 & 29

June 28, 2023/in Air Quality Action Day/by Clean Air Board

A(n) Air Quality Action Day has been declared for Susquehanna Valley Area, PA, on Wednesday, Jun 28 and Thursday, Jun 29

Today and Tomorrow’s Forecast
Wednesday, Jun 28:	175 AQI	Unhealthy	Particle Pollution (2.5 microns)
	38 AQI	Good	Ozone
Thursday, Jun 29:	125 AQI	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	Particle Pollution (2.5 microns)
	42 AQI	Good	Ozone

Wednesday Morning Update: The wildfire smoke has progressed further east overnight faster than models have been projecting, resulting in the higher concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM-2.5) reaching the area from the northwest earlier on Wednesday earlier than expected. The forecast has been upgraded to a CODE RED Air Quality Action Day. *** Wednesday’s Forecast: High pressure begins to build over the region on Wednesday as the low-pressure system that brought showers and thunderstorms the last few days slides off to the north and east. This will lead to a decrease in cloud cover by late in the day. The arrival of some wildfire smoke on a northwesterly breeze will lead to an increase in concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM-2.5), however. The area between the departing low and the arriving high will transport the wildfire smoke from the eastern Canadian fires that have been burning all month into the region. Air quality conditions may rapidly deteriorate at times. A CODE RED Air Quality Action Day for PM-2.5 has been declared for Wednesday. Concentrations will rise during the morning hours with the highest hourly concentrations expected to occur late in the day as the smoke continues to advance south and eastward. Residents are encouraged to check www.airnow.gov to see current conditions and the recommendations that go along with those conditions. With mostly cloudy conditions early and decreasing clouds later along with the haze from the smoke, ozone formation will be limited to keep concentrations in the good range. *** Extended Outlook: Dry conditions will continue Thursday. A warm front trying to lift north will turn the flow to more southerly during the evening hours. Continuation of northwesterly to westerly flow early in the day will allow for elevated PM-2.5 concentrations to linger into Thursday. It is looking likely that an Air Quality Action Day for at least CODE ORANGE will be declared for Thursday. Development of these conditions for Thursday will be monitored throughout the day on Wednesday with a forecast update by Wednesday afternoon. Even with mostly sunny skies, haze from the wildfire smoke will likely continue to limit ozone formation for Thursday. Air quality conditions are expected to begin improving late Friday into Saturday as more unsettled weather looks to return for the weekend. — Roble

Current air quality monitoring data for the Susquehanna Valley Area and other locations across Pennsylvania can be found at the EPA’s AirNow Interactive Map.

Air Pollution Kills 10 Million People a Year.

July 9, 2022/in Air Quality Action Day, Miscellaneous/by Clean Air Board

Air Pollution Kills 10 Million People a Year. Why Do We Accept That as Normal?

By David Wallace-Wells, Opinion Writer, NY Times, July 8, 2022

For every thousand people alive on earth, 973 are regularly inhaling toxins. Only 27 are not. Which means, almost certainly, you are too.

Last fall, the World Health Organization lowered its global air quality standard from 10 micrograms of particulate matter per cubic meter to five. Those terms and standards can feel abstract, which makes their meaning a bit hard to fathom. Read more . . .

The Air Quality Index Explained: What It Means and How to Stay Safe

August 27, 2021/0 Comments/in Air Quality Action Day/by Clean Air Board

By Adeel Hassan NY Times, Aug. 6, 2021

The Air Quality Index measures the density of five pollutants: ground-level ozone, particulates, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. It was established by the Environmental Protection Agency as a way to communicate to Americans the cleanliness of the air they are breathing each day. Read more

DEP declares air quality action day for July 20

July 19, 2021/0 Comments/in Air Quality Action Day/by Clean Air Board

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for fine particulate matter for Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in the following areas of Pennsylvania:

• The southeastern counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia;
• The Lehigh Valley-Berks Area which includes the counties of Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton;
• The southcentral counties of Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York; and
• The southwestern counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland.

Smoke from wildfires in northern and western Canada, along with light winds, will likely contribute to daily average concentrations of fine particulate matter in the Code Orange range on Tuesday.

June 5, 2021/0 Comments/in Miscellaneous/by Thomas Au

Air Quality Action Day has been declared for Susquehanna Valley, PA, on Sunday, Jun 6

Tomorrow’s Forecast
Sunday, Jun 6:	110 AQI	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	Ozone
	56 AQI	Moderate	Particle Pollution (2.5 microns)

*** Sunday’s forecast: Conditions will be favorable for ozone concentrations on Sunday to climb into the code ORANGE range. Light southwesterly flow around a strong area of high pressure combined with sunny skies will allow for the rise in concentrations. Fine particulate will also go into the lower moderate range as well.

Residents and businesses within the ozone Air Quality Action Day area are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce air pollution by:

• Conserving electricity by setting air conditioning to a higher temperature;
• Combining errands to reduce vehicle trips;
• Limiting engine idling; and
• Refueling cars and trucks after dusk.

This forecast is brought to you by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP).

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