The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and its regional air quality partnerships have forecast a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone on Thursday, June 27th for Montgomery County, along with Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, and Delaware counties. 

The press release states:

On Thursday, mostly sunny skies and temperatures rising into the lower 90s Fahrenheit will act to raise ozone concentrations to code ORANGE levels in Southeastern Pennsylvania counties. Similar conditions are likely across Southeastern Pennsylvania for Friday with temperatures once again moving into the lower 90s. DEP will continue to monitor this episode during the course of the week, with future forecast updates/action day issuances as needed. 

On air quality action days, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standardized air quality index uses colors to report daily air quality. Green signifies good; yellow means moderate; orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive people; and red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all. 

To help keep the air healthy, residents and business are encouraged to voluntarily restrict certain pollution-producing activities by:

• Refueling cars and trucks after dusk
• Setting air conditioner thermostats to a higher temperature
• Carpooling or using public transportation; and 
• Combining errands to reduce trips.  

These forecasts are provided in conjunction with Air Quality Partnership for the Delaware Valley.