Thick orange smoke haze over homes — Courtesy: Shutterstock — SvetlanaSF
According to a live map from AirNow, residents in areas of Florida, Georgia, and Oregon could experience dangerous levels of air pollution early on Friday.
The image depicts a region of northern Florida that includes communities like Sanderson and Lake Butler and has fine particle (PM2.5) pollution in the “very unhealthy” Air Quality Index (AQI) category. A tiny area of southeast Georgia is also under the danger.
Meanwhile, the community of La Pine in Oregon is surrounded by a “unhealthy” air pocket northeast of Medford and south of Bend.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that people avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor activities and think about rescheduling or transferring them indoors when the air quality falls into the “very unhealthy” category.
All outdoor physical activity should be avoided by sensitive populations, which include youngsters, the elderly, and people with certain medical disorders like heart or lung disease.
Officials encourage those in the “unhealthy” category to refrain from prolonged or strenuous outdoor activities, while the general public should cut back on such activities and take more breaks when engaging in outdoor activities.
Air pollution is measured by the Air Quality Index on a scale of 0 to 301 and higher:
0–50 (Green): Good: There is little to no risk from air pollution, and the air quality is adequate.
51–100 (Yellow): Moderate; the quality of the air is adequate. However, some people might be at risk, especially those who are extremely sensitive to air pollution.
101–150 (Orange): Bad for sensitive groups — sensitive group members may suffer health consequences. There is less chance that the general population will be impacted.
151–200 (Red): Unhealthy — members of sensitive groups may suffer more severe health impacts, while some members of the general public may experience health effects.
201–300 (Purple): Extremely unhealthy; be cautious. Everyone is at a higher risk of health consequences.
Hazardous — health warning of emergency situations (Maroon) 301 and above. It is more likely to impact everyone.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, EPA, and a number of other agencies collaborate to provide the air quality data repository AirNow.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued an air stagnation advisory for the northeast and southeast regions of Oregon, cautioning that individuals with respiratory conditions may experience difficulty due to the low quality of the air.
“A prolonged period of stagnant air with minimal vertical mixing and light winds.” According to the advisory, this is because of an inversion close to the surface that will keep trapping pollutants.
The warning will remain in effect until Monday at 4 a.m. PST.
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
