Poor Air Quality to Strike Anne Arundel on Thursday, Officials Say

Air in the Baltimore metropolitan area will be unhealthy for sensitive groups on Thursday, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment, which has issued an air quality alert for Sept. 17.

Areas around the Chesapeake Bay -- including Anne Arundel County -- are particularly prone to feeling the effects of air pollution Thursday afternoon, according to environmental officials.

A “dirtied airmass” will be in the region Thursday, exacerbated by little wind and cloudless skies, environmental officials said in a statement. “A few areas along the Bay … may see afternoon ’spikes’ in ozone concentrations due to Chesapeake Bay breeze effects.”

Due to pollution concentrations, the air may be unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children, older adults, asthmatics and those with heart and lung problems.

People can avoid the effects of air pollution by not exercising outside and abstaining from strenuous activity, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment.

See the Annapolis forecast and the regional air quality forecast.