Air Quality Alert For 5 MD Counties Plus Baltimore Issued June 30

MARYLAND — A code orange air quality alert is in effect Thursday for parts of the Baltimore-DC metropolitan areas as heat and humidity swamps the region for the next three days.

The Maryland Department of the Environment issues a code orange alert when pollution concentrations may be unhealthy for sensitive groups. Children, older adults, heart/lung disease sufferers and asthmatics are considered sensitive to poor air quality.

To minimize the effects from the air quality, officials suggest people in sensitive groups avoid outdoor and strenuous activities.

Areas covered by the alert are the city of Baltimore, plus Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's counties.

The public can visit the Maryland Department of the Environment website for more information on ground-level ozone and fine particles.

Forecasters are calling for plenty of sunshine in the Baltimore and D.C. metros on Thursday, with 90-degree temperatures.

"There will be a buildup of hot and more humid air in the East late this week, since a high pressure system is expected to begin to drift offshore," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Babinski.

Temperatures along the Interstate 95 corridor will climb above 90 degrees Friday and into the holiday weekend, AccuWeather said. Humidity will trend higher on Friday, as well, making it feel like 100 degrees or hotter from southeastern Pennsylvania through Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Here's the National Weather Service forecast for Maryland for the next few days.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 72. South wind 3 to 7 mph.

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Sunny, with a high near 92. Southwest wind 5 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 3pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 90. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between midnight and 3am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 70. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9am, then a chance of showers between 9am and 3pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70.