Air Quality Action Day for Monday in NW Indiana and Tuesday in NW and North Central regions

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has forecast an Air Quality Action Day (AQAD) for Monday, July 13 in Northwest Indiana and an AQAD for Tuesday, July 14 in Northwest and North Central Indiana.

Ozone levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range (Orange) in the following areas:

Monday, July 13

• Northwest Indiana, including the cities of: Crown Point, Gary, Hammond, Kentland, LaPorte, Michigan City, Portage, Rensselaer, Valparaiso and all other cities within the area.

Tuesday, July 14

• North Central Indiana, including the cities of: Elkhart, Goshen, Knox, Logansport, Plymouth, Peru, South Bend, Warsaw, Winamac and all other cities within the area.
• Northwest Indiana, including the cities of: Crown Point, Gary, Hammond, Kentland, LaPorte, Michigan City, Portage, Rensselaer, Valparaiso and all other cities within the area.

Hot temperatures, sunny skies, and light winds are expected for today and tomorrow. High surface pressure is building over the region. This will produce high Ozone readings into the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) for Northwest today and for Northwest and North Central tomorrow. Northwest will be the first concern today as the buildup of pollutant over Lake Michigan is a contributing factor, but ozone buildup is expected to influence North Central as well as hot and sunny conditions persist. 

Hoosiers can visit SmogWatch.IN.gov to:

• View air quality information for all Indiana counties, including a state map of affected counties;
• Learn more about Air Quality Action Days and recommended actions;
• Learn more about ozone and fine particulate matter; and
• Sign up for air quality alerts.

Air Quality Action Days are in effect from midnight to 11:59 p.m. (24-hours) on the specified dates. Some municipalities have additional open burning restrictions on AQADs. For more information, go to idem.IN.gov/openburning/laws-and-rules.