The DEP has declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone for Thursday, June 12 in Montgomery County and the surrounding region due to wafting smoke from the Canadian wildfires. 

“Hazy sunshine through low level smoke from Canadian wildfires in tandem with high temperatures around 90 degrees and light southwest winds will act to produce significant ozone concentrations in the code ORANGE range Thursday afternoon,” the announcement said. “Sensitive individuals of the population should take precautions and limit outdoor activity during the afternoon. On a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality; Yellow means moderate air quality; Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all. An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher.

According to www.airnow.gov, Ambler’s current air quality is Moderate.