"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 AQI range, people with lung disease, older adults and children are at a 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 health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.
LEARN MORE: Smog alerts in Atlanta: Understanding code red, code orange air quality warnings | Check today’s Air Quality Index for Atlanta
Drink plenty of water and don’t leave kids or pets in the car, metro Atlanta.
“It is still hot, and temperatures are going to be climbing as we go through the next couple of days,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said.
Temperatures were 90 degrees in Atlanta, 86 degrees in Blairsville and 91 degrees in Griffin just before 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
“We’re going to find temperatures reaching into those middle 90s in a few spots, and the humidity’s going to be coming up as well,” Minton said.
Along with the heat, a code orange smog alert was issued for the metro area Thursday, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
During a code orange smog alert, children, teenagers, elderly adults and people with lung disease or asthma are encouraged to reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
"Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath," according to a post from the Environmental Protection Agency.
However, metro Atlanta’s air quality was moderate Thursday. It earned a 67 out of 500 on the EPA’s Air Quality Index just before 3 p.m.
The air quality level has to reach 101 for smog to reach a code orange, Minton said.
High temperatures, which add to air quality issues, are expected to last throughout the week. Friday’s expected high is 93 degrees. But dry conditions will be short-lived.
An area of high pressure is keeping storms in states north of Georgia from reaching the metro area, but there is a 40 percent chance of scattered storms Saturday and Sunday.
Those storms could become strong to severe, meteorologists said.
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