The Lehigh Valley/Berks Area Air Quality Forecast for:
Thursday, June 26, 2008:
Ozone (O3) – Code YELLOW
Fine Particulates (PM 2.5) – Code YELLOW
Regional Maximum PM 2.5 Concentrations:
Friday, June 24, 2008:
Ozone (O3) – Code GREEN (41 AQI or 48 ppb)
PM 2.5 – GREEN (46 AQI or 14.3 µg/m3)
Short-Term Discussion: Partly to mostly sunny and pleasant over most of the forecast area at the moment. We expect warm and muggy conditions for tomorrow, which will linger through a good portion of this weekend. There will be a chance for rain and thunderstorms during this period making air-quality levels more difficult to predict.
Increasing clouds and humidity levels overnight with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm; temperatures will fall into the low 60s. Partly cloudy, humid and hazy Thursday morning with a chance of a morning shower or thunderstorm. Partial clearing expected later in the afternoon though a thunderstorm could still develop. Afternoon temperatures could reach the mid to upper 80s. Muggy conditions should keep Thursday’s fine-particulate concentration in the code YELLOW (moderate) range. Cloud cover and any thunderstorms should suppress ozone concentrations but there is enough of a chance that we will clear out Thursday afternoon to allow us to reach the code YELLOW (moderate) range.
Extended: Very warm and muggy weather is expected over the next several days with a chance of showers and thunderstorms right through Sunday. A cool front will slowly push through the Mid-Atlantic region later this weekend bringing some relief by early this week. Air-quality levels will likely remain in the moderate range during this time though if conditions change somewhat we could exceed those levels. Air quality will improve by early next week once the cool front clears the coast.
Tags: air quality forecast, AQI, Code Yellow, Lehigh Valley
