The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has issued an Air Quality Action Day for Monday, June 5th.
They are forecasting high ozone levels in the following counties:
Clark, Daviess, Dubois, Floyd, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, and Warrick.
This is due to surface temperatures expected to be between 85-90 degrees and relative humidity below 40% as dry air and some of the smoke from Canadian wildfires move into the region.
Air Quality Action Days are in effect from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on the specified date. Anyone sensitive to changes in air quality may be affected when ozone levels are high. Children, the elderly, and anyone with heart or lung conditions should reduce or avoid exertion and heavy work outdoors.
Air Quality Action Days generally occur when weather conditions such as light winds, hot and dry air, stagnant conditions, and lower atmospheric inversions trap pollutants close to the ground.
IDEM is encouraging everyone to help reduce ozone by making changes to daily habits. Here are their suggestions to help:
- Drive less: carpool, use public transportation, walk, bike, or work from home when possible
- Combine errands into one trip
- Avoid refueling your vehicle or using gasoline-powered lawn equipment until after 7 p.m.
- Keep your engine tuned, and don’t let your engine idle
- And conserve energy by turning off lights and setting the thermostat to 75 degrees or above
To learn more about ozone or to sign up for air quality alerts, visit SmogWatch.IN.gov.
