Air Quality Warning for Central Pennsylvania through Wednesday

An air quality warning was issued for Dauphin, Lebanon, Cumberland, York and Lancaster counties at 3:30 p.m. Monday, effective until midnight Wednesday.

“The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued an ORANGE air quality alert for the Susquehanna Valley on Tuesday. An ORANGE air quality alert means air pollution levels in the area may become unhealthy for sensitive groups. Sensitive groups include children, people with asthma, heart disease or other lung conditions, and the elderly. The effects of air pollution can be minimized by avoiding strenuous outdoor activity or physical activity,” the National Weather Service explains.

Notes on air quality warnings: Findings from the weather service

When an air quality warning appears on the radar, it is crucial to decipher its meaning. These warnings, issued by the weather service, contain clear but important advice to keep you safe:

Prioritize staying indoors:

Stay at home if possible, especially if you have respiratory problems or health problems or are elderly or a child.

Trim outdoor activities:

If you can’t avoid going outside, limit your outdoor activities to what is essential. The key is to reduce the time you spend outside.

Reduce environmentally harmful practices:

Be aware of activities that worsen air pollution, such as driving a car, operating a gasoline-powered lawn mower, or using other motorized vehicles. Limit their use during air quality alerts.

Prohibit open fires:

Avoid starting fires with debris or other materials during air quality alerts. Such practices only contribute to the problem of poor air quality.

Stay informed:

Stay informed by tuning into NOAA Weather Radio or your favorite weather news station. Staying informed will help you make informed decisions about outdoor activities when air quality alerts are in place.

Prioritize respiratory health:

If you have respiratory problems or health issues, be especially careful. In these circumstances, you are more vulnerable to the negative effects of poor air quality.

By following the weather service’s recommendations, you can increase your safety during air quality alerts and reduce your exposure to potentially harmful pollutants. Stay alert, stay protected, and put your health above all else.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service from United Robots that uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.