ATLANTA FORECAST
Today: A few clouds and smoke. High: 71
Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Low: 44
Tomorrow: Sunny. High: 64
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
The smoke that forced area students and the Falcons indoors and prompted a code orange smog alert Friday is expected to clear out some by Saturday.
Fires have burned through more than 10,330 acres in the North Georgia mountains and also torched land in Tennessee, North Carolina and Alabama.
The Georgia Forestry Commission said earlier this week that the smoke is not the result of new, local wildfires. Instead, it's the result of winds pushing smoke from existing wildfires south to metro Atlanta.
The haze forced the Falcons to move their Thursday practice indoors and prompted DeKalb and Fulton county schools to keep students with asthma and other breathing disorders indoors.
The school advisory aligned with a code orange smog alert issued Friday. The alert warns the public that air could be unhealthy for people in sensitive groups, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Air Quality Index was at 81 in metro Atlanta at 5 p.m. That falls in the “Moderate” category, making the air quality acceptable, but some pollutants may be a health concern for people sensitive to air pollution.
“Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath,” according to a post from the EPA.
According to Channel 2 meteorologist Brad Nitz, Gov. Nathan Deal said Thursday that the director of the EPA was recommending moving to Level 2 drought restrictions, which would include watering regulations. That step had not been taken as of Friday afternoon.
A cold front will knock temperatures down to 48 degrees Saturday morning and send east breezes to metro Atlanta, according to Channel 2. That means the haze should be gone before the University of Georgia football game in Athens against Auburn kicks off at 3:30 p.m.
“That easterly wind direction will push the smoke away from metro Atlanta,” Nitz said.
The next chance of rain is a 20 percent chance Sunday night into Monday.
Temperatures were 63 degrees in Atlanta, 58 in Blairsville and 60 in Griffin just before 7 p.m.
The Air Quality Scale used in Atlanta: "Good" AQI is 0 to 50. Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk. "Moderate" AQI is 51 to 100. Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people. For example, people who are unusually sensitive to ozone may experience respiratory symptoms. "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" AQI is 101 to 150. Although the general public is not likely to be affected at this range, people with lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from exposure to ozone, whereas persons with heart and lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from the presence of particles in the air. "Unhealthy" AQI is 151 to 200. Everyone may begin to experience some adverse health effects, and members of the sensitive groups may experience more serious effects. "Very Unhealthy" is AQI is 201 to 300. This would trigger a health alert signifying that everyone may experience more serious health effects. "Hazardous" AQI is greater than 300. This would trigger a health warning of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.
- Pay attention to local air quality reports and news coverage related to smoke.
- Keep indoor air as clean as possible, keeping windows and doors closed.
- Run an air conditioner, and keep the fresh-air intake closed and the filter clean.
- Avoid activities that increase indoor pollution such as vacuuming, burning candles or using fireplaces or gas stoves.
- Do not rely on paper dust masks, which will not protect your lungs from the small particles found in wildfire smoke.
- Follow the advice of your doctor or other health care provider if you have asthma or another lung disease.
About the Author
