Weather
Metro Atlanta Air Quality Alert Issued For Some Residents
People in sensitive groups are asked to limit their outdoor activity Tuesday due to unhealthy air.
ATLANTA, GA — The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has issued a code orange air quality alert, deeming the air unhealthy for people in sensitive groups Tuesday, according to weather officials.
Orange denotes an air quality index of between 101-150 while an index of above 150 is considered code red, with health effects spreading to members of the general public. Tuesday's AQI was 111.
Air quality alerts are triggered by a number of factors, including the detection of fine-particle pollution — known as “PM 2.5” — which can irritate the lungs.
Find out what's happening in Atlantafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
According to the national government-operated monitoring platform AirNow, PM 2.5 was moderate early Tuesday morning.
"Under code orange conditions, the outdoor air quality is likely to be unhealthy for some people. Children, people who are sensitive to ozone and people with heart or lung disease should limit prolonged outdoor exertion during the late afternoon or early evening when ozone concentrations are highest," the National Weather Service said.
Find out what's happening in Atlantafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
At 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the weather service predicted the following forecast:
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Northwest wind 5-10 mph.
Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. West wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Sunny, with a high near 90. West wind 5-10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
Thursday night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Mostly clear, with a low around 66. West wind 5-10 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 89.
Friday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 66.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Sunny, with a high near 88.
Saturday night: A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Mostly clear, with a low around 65.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 85.
Sunday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 66.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 88.
Monday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 66.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 88.
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