BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Extensive swaths of the United States, including the Lehigh Valley, will experience unhealthy air quality again Tuesday.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued a code orange air quality alert for the second straight day.
- The Lehigh Valley is under an air quality alert again Tuesday
- About 35% of the year has seen air quality in the area that’s something other than “good”
- Scattered showers and thunderstorms could wash out the smoke, with the area at a marginal risk of severe weather
On Monday, fine particle pollution caused by smoke from Canada’s wildfires pushed the air quality to red, meaning it was unhealthy for everyone.
The EPA’s AirNow.gov smoke and fire map showed poor air quality Tuesday morning as far south as south as Georgia and the Carolinas.
The particles in the smoke — measured as PM2.5 — are tiny enough to get deep into the lungs and cause short-term problems such as coughing and itchy eyes, and can affect the heart and lungs.
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Ozone, the other pollutant
Tuesday marks the 199th day of the year, and the 71st day in which the Lehigh Valley's air quality has been something other than "good."
That affects vulnerable groups, such as children, seniors, those who are pregnant or have heart or lung disease.
Beyond PM2.5, another pollutant in the air has been ozone — or pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, refineries and other sources that chemically react in the presence of sunlight.
According to the EPA, ozone is most likely to reach unhealthy levels on hot sunny days in urban environments, including on Tuesday.
The region has seen plenty of warm, humid days but has thus far avoided the blistering heat seen in other parts of the country this summer.
Storms to wash out the smoke?
The National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, said Tuesday could bring scattered showers and thunderstorms by the afternoon, potentially washing out the smoke.
The Lehigh Valley is at a marginal risk (1 out of 5) of severe weather but “the focus of storms remains unclear,” a morning forecast discussion said, with some models showing random storm development.
“Either way, with [precipitable water values] approaching 2 inches, heavy downpours will be a concern, along with isolated severe weather,” the discussion said.
It comes after parts of the region saw a month’s worth of rain on Sunday, with the Slate Belt among the hardest-hit areas.
