Air Quality Action Days Forecasted For This Week

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has forecast Air Quality Action Days (AQADs) for Monday, Aug. 26 and Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in multiple regions.

On Monday, ozone levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range (Orange) in the following areas:

• Southeast Indiana, including the cities of: Brownstown, Corydon, Jeffersonville, Madison, New Albany, Salem, Versailles and all other cities within the area.
• Southwest Indiana, including the cities of: Bedford, Bloomfield, Evansville, Huntingburg, Mount Vernon, Paoli, Princeton, Rockport, Tell City, Vincennes and all other cities within the area.

On Tuesday, ozone levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range (Orange) in the following areas:

• Northwest Indiana, including the cities of: Crown Point, Gary, Hammond, Kentland, LaPorte, Michigan City, Portage, Rensselaer, Valparaiso and all other cities within the area.
• North Central Indiana, including the cities of: Elkhart, Goshen, Knox, Logansport, Plymouth, Peru, South Bend, Warsaw, Winamac and all other cities within the area.
• Southeast Indiana, including the cities of: Brownstown, Corydon, Jeffersonville, Madison, New Albany, Salem, Versailles and all other cities within the area.
• Southwest Indiana, including the cities of: Bedford, Bloomfield, Evansville, Huntingburg, Mount Vernon, Paoli, Princeton, Rockport, Tell City, Vincennes and all other cities within the area.

Temperatures exceeding 95 degrees across most of the state and prevailing winds remaining light, present conditions are favorable for ozone development that reaches the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) range in these areas.

Hoosiers can visit SmogWatch.IN.gov to:

• View air quality information for all Indiana counties, including a state map of affected counties;
• Learn more about Air Quality Action Days and recommended actions;
• Learn more about ozone and fine particulate matter; and
• Sign up for air quality alerts.

Air Quality Action Days are in effect from midnight to 11:59 p.m. (24-hours) on the specified dates. Some municipalities have additional open burning restrictions on AQADs. For more information, see idem.IN.gov/openburning/laws-and-rules.