Air Quality Action Day for Ozone Has Been Declared for Wednesday, July 5
Published on July 05, 2023
An Air Quality Action Day for Ozone has been declared for Wednesday, July 5th. Sensitive individuals, including the very young, the elderly, and persons with respiratory diseases such as asthma, should avoid strenuous activities during the afternoon and early evening hours. Mid-Atlantic high pressure will begin to advance towards the region on Wednesday and eventually become overhead, with frontal boundaries on either side off the East Coast and over the Great Lakes region.
This large-scale weather pattern has historically provided the nonattainment area with numerous ozone exceedance events in years past. This setup creates a stagnant air mass between the two frontal boundaries, allowing for light and variable winds at the surface. Combined with sunny skies and high temperatures reaching the lower 90s, ozone levels are expected to rapidly rise into the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) category for the majority of New Jersey, with locally higher values expected in central and northeastern portions of New Jersey.
Local pollution sources, such as mobile sources, power plants, and other industrial sources, and the transport of ozone precursors from upwind states by winds at the surface and aloft will contribute to elevated ozone concentrations monitored in New Jersey during this timeframe. Ozone concentrations are expected to improve on Saturday following a cold frontal passage.
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