The weather this year across the country has seen lots of interesting twists and turns that continue to set new precedence. This past week in St. Louis has been no exception, as meteorologists issue weather warning, specifically warning about air quality. Yesterday, several counties in Missouri and Illinois received warnings with orange air quality alerts. They were in effect throughout most of the day, advising that due to wildfires in Canada and other states, the ozone was full of air pollutants that would affect them.
What does an orange air quality alert mean?
The orange zone for air quality alerts is the 4th most severe in the air quality scale from the National Weather Service. It follows behind the red zone, then the purple zone, and the most severe maroon zone. By definition, the orange zone is a warning that the “maximum ozone concentrations are expected to reach levels that pose a health risk.” With this, the National Weather Service advised people to look out for possible related illnesses and sick effects. They stated ground-level ozone in particular is heavy right now, which is an air pollutant that easily causes breathing problems for children, older adults, and people with existing health conditions.
Experts advise limiting outdoor exposure.
In particular, meteorologists expressed suggestions to reduce going outside at all if possible. They advised avoiding physical activity to reduce the amount of exposure to the pollutant. Furthermore, they advised people to telecommute or carpool if possible. Meteorologists called for this as the reduced driving would reduce the amount of additional pollutants being sent out into the air. Lastly, they asked that those who are on the road avoid, if possible, idling for too long and not topping off their vehicle’s fuel tank when refueling their vehicle.
This alert has been sent to seven counties and one city.
The one city to receive this notice in an isolated way is St. Louis. The counties, in Missouri, which received the alert are St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County, and Franklin County. The counties, in Illinois, which were issued the alerts are Madison County, Saint Clair County, and Monroe County.
