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Ozone Facts
What is it?
Ground level ozone, also known as smog, is a chronic
Summertime air pollutant formed when nitrogen oxides (NOx)
and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) interact with sunlight
during hot days. The main sources of NOx and VOCs are vehicles
and power plants.
How do the forecasts work?
Each day during the Ozone Action season (which lasts
roughly from Memorial Day through Labor Day), the Council
lists the ozone forecasts for each region of the State based
on predictions made by respective Air Quality Partnerships.
In previous years, a RED code alert indicates an exceedence
of the National Ambient Air Quality standards for Ozone
under the Clean Air Act. Beginning with the 2003 Ozone Season,
ORANGE or RED code alerts indicate an exceedence.
What are the Air Quality Partnerships?
Air Quality Partnerships are
public/private coalitions of volunteers dedicated to improving
air quality in the most populous areas of Pennsylvania.
The goals of the Air Quality Partnerships are to
increase the public's understanding on the impact of air
pollution, provide alerts for days with high air pollution,
provide health effects information and guidelines to prevent
or reduce exposure, and finally encourage voluntary actions
to reduce air pollution emissions, especially on “Action
Days”. The Partnerships forecast "Action Days,"
or days when the air is expected to be unhealthy to breathe.
(See HERE
for more information).
There are four of these regional coalitions
and everyone is encouraged to find out more information
from their respective Air Quality Partnerships.
How can I
get more data on Ozone?
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection monitors
the level of air pollutants, including Ozone, all across
the state. The agency collects and organizes this data and
makes it available to the public through its website.
- Clean Air Council provides daily
air quality reports for the Philadelphia region. Check
the weather report in your local newspaper to see.
- During the Summer be sure to consult
the Council's FRONT PAGE
to find out the latest ozone forecast for your area.
Ozone Forecasts Summary
- 2008 - 2009 Summer Seasons
Region |
Red or Orange
Alert Forecasts Made (Summer, 2008)
|
Red or Orange
Alert Forecasts Made (Summer, 2009) |
| Philadelphia/S. Jersey/Delaware |
25 |
9 |
| Lehigh Valley/Berks |
11 |
5 |
| Susquehanna Valley |
14 |
8 |
| Pittsburgh |
11 |
6 |
PM 2.5 Forecasts Summary - 2008 - 2009
Region |
Red or Orange
Alert Forecasts Made (2008) |
Red or Orange
Alert Forecasts Made (2009) |
| Philadelphia/S. Jersey/Delaware |
6 |
1 |
| Lehigh Valley/Berks |
3 |
2 |
| Susquehanna Valley |
3 |
3 |
| Pittsburgh |
2 |
1 |
Ozone Forecasts Summary
- 2005 - 2007 Summer Seasons
|
Region
|
Red or Orange
Alert Forecasts Made (Summer, 2007)
|
Red or Orange
Alert Forecasts Made (Summer, 2006)
|
Red or Orange
Alert Forecasts Made (Summer, 2005)
|
| Philadelphia/S. Jersey/Delaware |
20 |
16 |
20 |
| Lehigh Valley/Berks |
3 |
4 |
7 |
| Susquehanna Valley |
7 |
7 |
8 |
| Pittsburgh |
8 |
8 |
9 |
PM 2.5 Forecasts Summary - 2005 - 2007
|
Region
|
Red or Orange
Alert Forecasts Made in 2005
|
Red or Orange
Alert Forecasts Made in 2006
|
Red or Orange
Alert Forecasts Made in 2007
|
| Philadelphia/S. Jersey/Delaware |
5 |
6 |
5 |
| Lehigh Valley/Berks |
7 |
6 |
2 |
| Susquehanna Valley |
11 |
8 |
10 |
| Pittsburgh |
8 |
3 |
11 |
Ozone Forecasts Summary,
2003 Season
In 2003, Pennsylvania benefited
from a sharp decrease in the number of exceedences of the
ozone standard compared to recent years. While some of this
was certainly due to increases in precipitation, the Council
believes the implementation of cleaner air quality rules
like the NOx SIP call, which the Council championed, also
played a part.
| Region |
Red or Orange
Alert Forecasts Made |
Actual # of Exceedence
Days of the 8-hour standard
(above 84 ppb) * |
Highest 8-hour total recorded in this
region (ppb) |
Actual # of Exceedence Days of the
1-hour ozone (above 124 ppb) * |
| Philadelphia |
12 |
10** |
112** |
0** |
| Lehigh Valley/Berks |
8 |
4 |
108 |
1 |
| Susquehanna Valley |
8 |
3 |
121 |
1 |
| Pittsburgh |
6 |
9 |
122 |
1 |
| Monitors With The
Most Ozone Standard Exceedences (2003): |
| Monitor
Name |
# of 8-hour
Exceedences
|
Highest
8-hour Ozone Total (ppb) |
| Bristol |
9 |
110 |
| Hookstown |
6 |
121 |
| Farrell |
6 |
112 |
| Washington |
5 |
114 |
| Kittanning |
5 |
113 |
| Pittsburgh |
5 |
122 |
| Lawrenceville |
5 |
121 |
Ozone Forecasts Summary, 2002
Season
(May 1, 2002 - Sept. 13, 2002)
| Region |
Red Alert Forecasts Made |
Actual # of Exceedence Days of the 8-hour standard
(above 84 ppb) * |
Highest 8-hour total recorded in this region (ppb) |
Actual # of Exceedence Days of the 1-hour ozone
(above 124 ppb) * |
| Philadelphia |
15 |
27 ** |
131 ** |
10 ** |
| Lehigh Valley/Berks |
21 |
21 |
108 |
0 |
| Susquehanna Valley |
22 |
22 |
120 |
2 |
| Pittsburgh |
25 |
33 |
115 |
1 |
| Monitors With The
Most Ozone Standard Exceedences (2002): |
| Monitor
Name |
#
of 8-hour
Exceedences |
Highest
8-hour Ozone Total (ppb) |
| Methodist Hill |
25 |
108 |
| New Garden (Airport) |
24 |
131 |
| Pittsburgh (Carnegie SC) |
23 |
114 |
| West Chester |
19 |
115 |
| Lancaster |
19 |
118 |
| Brighton Twp |
19 |
107 |
Source: PA Department of Environmental
Protection, Ozone Action Partnerships
ppb - parts per billion
* - Actual number of Exceedence Days means the total number
of days in the Ozone Season during which one or more of
a region's ozone monitors recorded an exceedence.
** - This chart only contains actual ozone exceedence information
for monitors located in Pennsylvania. On the other hand,
forecasts for the Philadelphia Region encompass the entire
multi-state region that includes Philadelphia.
Ozone Action Definitions
CODE
COLOR
|
CODE ALERT
|
| GREEN |
Good Air Quality |
| YELLOW |
Moderate Air Quality |
| ORANGE |
Unhealthy Air Quality for
Sensitive Groups of People |
| RED |
Unhealthy Air Quality |
| PURPLE |
Very Unhealthy Air Quailty |
|
