Please join with CAB this Thursday for a presentation on the interaction of pesticides with biodiversity, disease, and climate – presented by Jay Feldman, Beyond Pesticides!
Topic: Eliminating petrochemical pesticides in our local environment
What: Join CAB online in this Zoom presentation
When: Thursday, Oct 19, at 7 p.m.
How: Reply to cleanairboard@gmail.com if you would like a link to the Zoom meeting.
| A(n) Air Quality Action Day has been declared for Susquehanna Valley Area, PA, on Thursday, Jun 8 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomorrow’s Forecast | ||||
| Thursday, Jun 8: | 130 AQI | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups |  | Particle Pollution (2.5 microns) |
| 65 AQI | Moderate |  | Ozone | |
| Extended Forecast | ||||
| Friday, Jun 9: | 100 AQI | Moderate | | Particle Pollution (2.5 microns) |
| 70 AQI | Moderate | | Ozone | |
Current Conditions: As of 2 PM on Wednesday, the skies over eastern PA remain smoke filled as we continue to feel the impacts of the forest fires in eastern Canada and the positioning of an area of low pressure over Nova Scotia, Canada and an area of high pressure over the Hudson Bay region of Canada. The northerly wind flow that has persist for much of the day continues to drive the smoky air southward across the Commonwealth. Right now, we have a very thick plume of smoke over the region. This is allowing PM2.5 levels to reach into well into the unhealthy category. Expect the worse air quality impacts to continue to persist through the evening as the winds die down in the overnight period. *** Thursday’s Forecast: So for Thursday, expect the smoky conditions that have persisted over the past two days to continue to persist through much of the day. The highest air quality levels are expected to occur during the morning hours, as the air mass that settled in Wednesday night continues to persist over our area. Expect the air quality levels to begin to drop during the day thanks to a slight transition in the overall weather pattern. The main low pressure system over Nova Scotia will begin to retrograde (i.e. move from east to west) across the eastern Canada. This westward movement will change the orientation of the winds over PA. Model guidance indicates that the plume will actually shift further to the west, thus relaxing the onslaught of smoke over eastern PA. We will keep an eye on this situation around the clock and issue an update to this forecast in the morning, if necessary. Afternoon temperatures will stay slightly below normal, with highs in the low to mid 70s. Even with the declining levels of PM 2.5 expected, overall averages should at least remain well within the Code ORANGE range. |
| A(n) Air Quality Action Day has been declared for Susquehanna Valley Area, PA, on Wednesday, Jun 7 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomorrow’s Forecast | ||||
| Wednesday, Jun 7: | 147 AQI | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups |  | Particle Pollution (2.5 microns) |
| 76 AQI | Moderate |  | Ozone | |
| Extended Forecast | ||||
| Thursday, Jun 8: | 93 AQI | Moderate | | Particle Pollution (2.5 microns) |
| 80 AQI | Moderate | | Ozone | |
Current Conditions as of 1 PM on Tuesday: Wildfire smoke has moved overhead from fires in Canada which has degraded the air quality across the region. Concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM-2.5) remain elevated while the smoke/haze has limited ozone formation under otherwise mostly sunny skies. *** Wednesday’s Forecast: An area of low pressure centered close to Maine/Nova Scotia with high pressure to the northwest will continue the northerly flow on Wednesday. This northerly flow will bring more waves of wildfire smoke into the region over the course of the day. With the wildfires to the north continuing to be fueled by dry conditions with breezy winds, the threat of periods of elevated concentrations of PM-2.5 close to the surface will remain. An Air Quality Action Day will be declared once again for Wednesday due to the risk of hours with higher concentrations being observed. Areas where the thicker plumes manage to miss will see concentrations in the higher end of the moderate range on average for the day. With the smoke causing hazy conditions, ozone formation will again be limited. Locations with a lower density of smoke overhead will see higher amounts of sunshine reaching the surface which may allow for moderate levels of ozone concentrations to be observed. *** Extended Outlook: Similar conditions may continue Thursday so transport of the wildfire smoke with the northerly flow will continue to be monitored. At a minimum, moderate air quality is expected for both PM-2.5 and ozone concentrations. The area of low pressure will finally begin to be pushed eastward on Friday. This may not end the threat for periods of elevated concentrations due to the smoke for Friday but may at least begin a transition to an improvement in air quality conditions for the weekend. Some much-needed rainfall may even arrive for the second half of the weekend. – |
| A(n) Air Quality Action Day has been declared for Susquehanna Valley Area, PA, on Sunday, Oct 23 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomorrow’s Forecast | ||||
| Sunday, Oct 23: | 102 AQI | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups |  |
Particle Pollution (2.5 microns) |
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| Extended Forecast | ||||
| Monday, Oct 24: | 95 AQI | Moderate |  |
Particle Pollution (2.5 microns) |
| Tuesday, Oct 25: | 70 AQI | Moderate | |
Particle Pollution (2.5 microns) |
| Current Conditions: Light winds are producing very little dispersion across the area this Saturday afternoon, and fine particle pollution (PM2.5) levels in the area will end up well into the moderate range. A strong inversion is likely to increase particles again tonight. *** Sunday’s forecast: An Air Quality Action Day will be declared for Sunday! High PM2.5 levels during the morning hours Sunday will send daily averages into the code ORANGE range, mainly across Lancaster County. The highest PM2.5 will come prior to 11 a.m. Sunday morning. A light northeast wind will improve air quality during the afternoon. *** Monday’s forecast: PM2.5 will continue to be an issue as we move into the new workweek. Light south to southeast wind will again not allow for a good deal of mixing, so high moderate air quality is again likely. * |
DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for Fine Particulate Matter for Thursday, January 13, 2022, in Multiple Areas of Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for fine particulate matter for Thursday, January 13, 2022, in the following areas of Pennsylvania:
• The Philadelphia Area, which includes the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia;
• The Lehigh Valley-Berks Area, which includes the counties of Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton; and
• The Susquehanna Valley Area, which includes the counties of Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York.
A moderately strong temperature inversion Thursday morning with calm or very light wind will likely contribute to daily average concentrations of fine particulate matter in the Code Orange range.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality; Yellow means moderate air quality; Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all.
An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher. On an 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.
Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Action Day areas are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce fine particulate matter air pollution by:
• Reducing or eliminating fireplace and wood stove use;
• Avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash, and other materials; and
• Avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.
Harrisburg, PA. An Air Quality Action Day for fine particulate matter will be in effect once again in the Susquehanna Valley for Wednesday, July 21. A cold front pushing to the south and east will improve conditions and help to move the wildfire smoke out of the area, but this feature will not arrive until the afternoon to early evening hours. A slight chance for showers and possibly a few thunderstorms will occur in advance of the arrival of this front, but these will not be widespread enough to help to clean out the air prior to the frontal passage.
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.
Jan. 14, 2021 — The Clean Air Board submitted comments to the Environmental Quality Board on Pennsylvania’s proposed rules to join and implement the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. In 2019, Governor Tom Wolf directed the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a cap-and-invest program to control carbon pollution from power plants in Pennsylvania CAB supports Pennsylvania the plan to join a regional emissions cap and trade program composed of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. “It is critically important that Pennsylvania starts to meaningfully address its contribution to climate change,” CAB stated in its comments.
| A(n) Air Quality Action Day has been declared for Susquehanna Valley, PA, on Monday, Dec 21 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomorrow’s Forecast | ||||
| Monday, Dec 21: | 103 AQI | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | |
Particle Pollution (2.5 microns) |
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| Extended Forecast | ||||
| Tuesday, Dec 22: | 40 AQI | Good |  |
Particle Pollution (2.5 microns) |
| Current conditions: ***An Air Quality Action Day is in effect for Monday***. Calm to very light westerly winds, another strong morning inversion, and increasing weekday emissions from mobile and stationary sources will all act to create fine particulate concentrations in the code ORANGE range Monday. Fine particulate concentrations are expected to be at their highest during the morning hours. * |
