Air Quality Action Day for North Central Indiana as Canadian wildfire smoke makes impact

Fine particulate matter levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy range (Red) in the following areas:

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

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

• Central/East Central Indiana, including the cities of: Bloomington, Brookville, Columbus, Frankfort, Indianapolis, Greensburg, Kokomo, Lebanon, Martinsville, Muncie, Richmond and all other cities within the area.
• Western/West Central Indiana, including the cities of: Crawfordsville, Covington, Delphi, Fowler, Greencastle, Lafayette, Newport, Monticello, Spencer, Sullivan, Terre Haute and all other cities within the area.

Heavy wildfire smoke is making its way into the state Thursday, moving in behind a front from the north. This smoke, in addition to the other meteorological factors such as light winds and recent stagnant conditions, produced high PM2.5 readings into the Very Unhealthy (purple) range for Northwest, North Central, and Northeast Indiana. 

Smoke will linger in the region Friday despite evening rain chances, PM 2.5 readings are predicted to reach the Unhealthy (Red) range throughout northern Indiana and Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups level (Orange) in Central and East Central Indiana.

For reporting purposes, these AQADs will be attributed to PM2.5.

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.