Pittsburgh's air quality noses into the "sensitive" range on Thursday afternoon
With most being dry today, and day one of the U.S. Open starting up at Oakmont, air quality is certainly the top weather headline. For our region, we normally have two real drivers when it comes to air pollution.
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One of those is when we have a ridge of high pressure in place, and ozone is created in the atmosphere. The ozone eventually mixes down to the ground, where it causes respiratory issues for those who may be vulnerable.
The second thing that we see when high pressure is in place is a 'cap', where sinking air doesn't allow for chemicals trapped at the surface, like pollutants from factories or even car exhaust, to escape into the atmosphere.
There is also sometimes a third option when it comes to Canadian smoke. Today's concerns are about 8 parts ozone creation with two parts Canadian smoke.
As of 4 a.m., no area is really close to hitting orange. Canadian smoke levels should peak this morning before easing as we head into the afternoon. Ozone levels peak in the afternoon with the sun at its highest angle.
The official forecast has us just barely hitting the orange range due to a mix of both of these conditions. I think the best advice is if you have respiratory issues, or are over the age of let's say 65, you should take it easy today. Be aware of your body and how you are feeling.
Everyone else should be fine.
Let's get to your forecast. Highs today will hit the mid-80s. I have the noon temperature at 80 degrees. Dew points have ticked up around 10 degrees from yesterday, so humidity levels will be in the moderate range. The rain chance for today is isolated, with almost everyone dry.
Rain chances will tick up on Friday with a round of scattered storms expected during the afternoon. Rain and storms could be fairly widespread on Saturday and potentially on Sunday. There may also be a flood risk on Saturday, depending on total rain. Highs will be in the mid-80s on Friday. Saturday and Sunday highs will be near 80°.
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