Air Quality Alerts Issued For 4 New Hampshire Counties

CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services warned Granite Staters that air pollution levels may be unhealthy for children and adults in four counties on Tuesday.

An “air quality action day” alert was issued Monday afternoon, warning sensitive individuals with breathing issues to take precautions in Cheshire, southern Hillsborough, Merrimack, and interior Rockingham counties. Ground-level ozone concentrations — the main component of smog, will rise to levels that will be unhealthy for people with asthma and lung disease.

“Symptoms of ozone exposure may include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, or pain when inhaling deeply,” the alert stated. “The symptom severity can increase as air pollutant concentrations increase.”

Officials said even healthy individuals may experience “mild health effects and should consider limiting strenuous or prolonged outdoor activities.”

The pollutants arrive in New Hampshire by being blown here from other places by the wind. The alert stated those pollutants combine with those in the Granite State, which enhances the dangers for those with breathing issues. The high temperatures and sunny skies enhance the creation of ozone.

The warning is for the afternoon and evening on Tuesday. Temperatures are expected to climb into the upper 80s for the first time in 2024 on Tuesday. But temps may also reach the lower 90s on Wednesday — leading officials to add there may be a “similar” warning for that day, too.

“Air quality is expected to improve on Thursday as cloud cover and precipitation chances increase,” the alert stated.

More information can be found online here or by calling the NH DES at 800-935-SMOG.

The latest weather conditions can be found on the front page of every Patch.com site in the United States, including the 14 New Hampshire Patch news and community websites covering Amherst, Bedford, Concord, Exeter, Hampton, Londonderry, Manchester, Merrimack, Milford, Nashua, North Hampton, Portsmouth, Salem, Windham, and Across NH. Local weather reports for New Hampshire are posted on Sundays and Thursdays. Alerts are published when needed.

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