IDEM updates Air Quality Action Day forecast for Friday and Saturday

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has updated today’s Air Quality Action forecast to include three regions in Northern Indiana. In addition, the agency has forecast an Air Quality Action Day for tomorrow in Southeast Indiana.

On Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, ozone 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.

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.

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

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

Southeast Indiana, including the cities of: Brownstown, Corydon, Jeffersonville, Madison, New Albany, Salem, Versailles and all other cities within the area.

A stagnant air mass continues across the region today, combined with unseasonably warm temperatures, low humidity, sunny skies, and light wildfire smoke may drive ozone levels once again into the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) range across these regions.

On Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, ozone levels are expected  to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range (Orange) in the following areas:

Southeast Indiana, including the cities of: Brownstown, Corydon, Jeffersonville, Madison, New Albany, Salem, Versailles and all other cities within the area.

A stagnant airmass will persist across the region through Saturday, and the combination of unseasonably warm temperatures, low humidity, sunny skies, and light wildfire smoke could once again elevate ozone levels into the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) range.

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.