INDIANA – The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has added Northwest Indiana to the agency’s Air Quality Action Day forecast for Thursday, June 20, 2024.
Ozone levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range (Orange) in Northwest Indiana, including the cities of Crown Point, Gary, Hammond, Kentland, LaPorte, Michigan City, Portage, Rensselaer, Valparaiso and all other cities within the area.
High temperatures are expected to reach the 90-degree mark again on Thursday in inland areas south of Lake Michigan. When combined with slightly lower humidity in the afternoon, light and variable winds and a chance for lake breeze may increase ozone levels in the region.
On Tuesday, IDEM announced that the agency forecast an Air Quality Action Day for Thursday in four other areas throughout the state. In addition to Northwest Indiana, ozone levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range (Orange) in:
- Central/East Central Indiana, including Bloomington, Brookville, Columbus, Frankfort, Indianapolis, Greensburg, Kokomo, Lebanon, Martinsville, Muncie, and Richmond.
- Southeast Indiana, Brownstown, Corydon, Jeffersonville, Madison, New Albany, Salem, and Versailles.
- Southwest Indiana, including Bedford, Bloomfield, Evansville, Huntingburg, Mount Vernon, Paoli, Princeton, Rockport, Tell City, and Vincennes.
- Western/West Central Indiana, including Crawfordsville, Covington, Delphi, Fowler, Greencastle, Lafayette, Newport, Monticello, Spencer, Sullivan, and Terre Haute.
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 date. Some municipalities have additional open burning restrictions on AQADs. For more information, see idem.IN.gov/openburning/laws-and-rules.
