In addition to the intense heat expected this weekend, bringing in heat index values above 100 degrees, the Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency has issued an air quality alert for Greater Cincinnati.
This alert will go into effect at midnight on Saturday, June 21, through Monday, June 23, for Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton and Warren counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties in Kentucky; and Dearborn County in Indiana.
The agency expects to see levels of ozone in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range on the air quality index or AQI.
What is an air quality alert?
According to Columbia University, the EPA created the air quality index, or AQI, “to monitor and report on air quality each day and let people know about its possible health impacts.”
Over 1,000 locations in the United States monitor and record the air in a color-coded index for four significant pollutants: ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. Here’s a breakdown of what each level means.
On air quality alert days, the Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency recommends several ways community members can help reduce ozone formation:
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Air quality alert issued Saturday as extreme heat rolls into Greater Cincinnati
Reporting by Hailey Roden, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
