IDEM extends Air Quality Action Day for Northern Regions; includes Northeast Indiana

Friday, August 1, 2025 at 9:26 AM

By Staff report

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is extending an Air Quality Action Day (AQAD) across the northern section of the state for today, August 1, 2025. The forecast includes two regions in yesterday's forecast and adds areas around Fort Wayne.

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

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.
Northeast Indiana, including the cities of: Angola, Auburn, Decatur, Fort Wayne, Hartford, Huntington City, LaGrange, Marion, Portland, Wabash and all other cities within the area.

With northeasterly flow at the surface Friday morning, we are continuing to be impacted by Canadian wildfire smoke moving south across the Great Lakes. Fine Particulate monitor readings in Northwest, North Central and Northeast Indiana have remained elevated overnight and we expect this to persist for most of today.

IDEM forecasted Air Quality Action Days indicate anticipated higher levels of ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter only. Other factors may affect overall air quality.

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 date. Some municipalities have additional open burning restrictions on AQADs. For more information, go to idem.IN.gov/openburning/laws-and-rules.