Source: Indiana Department of Environmental Management
STATEWIDE–All of Indiana is under an Air Quality Action Day because of smoke from the recent Canadian wildfires.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management says there have been high particulate readings recently in South Bend, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Muncie.
Air quality readings are measured using what’s called the Air Quality Index. It runs from 0-500, with 500 being the largest. When AQI values are above 100, air quality is unhealthy: at first for certain sensitive groups of people, then for everyone as AQI values get higher. Some places in Indiana have reached over 100 such as Anderson, Mechanicsburg, and Larwill.
“Even though this will continue for most of the day, there is a wind shift coming on Friday and Saturday. Skies should start to clear out then,” said Kaci Hoover, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.
The IDEM has other tips that they urge you to follow:
-Avoid burning wood in fireplaces or wood-fired boilers and any other unnecessary fires
-Reminder: Indiana’s open burning laws make it illegal to burn trash and generally prohibit open burning, visit IN.gov/openburning for more information
-Reduce activity time outdoors to reduce unhealthy exposure to PM5 and avoid exercising near busy roads
-Combine errands into one trip
-Avoid using gasoline-powered snow removal equipment or gas-powered recreational vehicles
-Keep your engine tuned, and don’t let your engine idle (e.g., at a bank or restaurant drive-thru)
-Conserve energy by turning off lights or setting the thermostat to 70 degrees or lower
It’s supposed to be dry across Indiana for the next couple of days, but rain is likely this weekend.
“It’s expected all across the state. It could be a half an inch at least in some places. It’s likely to start late Saturday night and stick around through Sunday,” said Hoover.
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All of Indiana is Under an Air Quality Action Day, Here’s Why was originally published on wibc.com
