Metro Atlanta's first smog alert of the year has been issued for Friday.
According to the state's Clean Air Campaign, the "code orange" alert was issued because the predicted concentration of ground level ozone on Friday is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups.
"People who are sensitive to ozone and people with heart and lung disease should limit prolonged outdoor exertion during the late afternoon or early evening, when ozone levels are highest," the campaign said in the alert.
The code orange alert was issued on Thursday when forecasters predicted that the ozone on Friday would reach the unhealthy level.
Last year, the ozone level first reached the unhealthy range on May 9, and the ozone exceeded the federal standards of .085 parts per million on 40 days, the most in the past 10 years.
In the past 10 years, the federal standard has been exceeded for the first time as early a April 14, in 2003, and as late as June 1, in 2009.
While Friday and Saturday are expected to be rain free, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said a slight chance of rain is possible Sunday and Monday as a tropical low-pressure system begins to affect metro Atlanta's weather.
Minton is forecasting a 2o percent chance of rain on Sunday, increasing to 30 percent on Memorial Day.
Temperatures on Saturday will be about 10 degrees warmer than normal, likely reaching the low 90s for the first time since last September.
Sunday and Monday will be a little cooler, with highs topping out in the upper 80s, Minton said.
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