Front Range Action Day for Ozone

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Regional Air Quality Council have issued an OZONE ACTION DAY ALERT at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 28, 2016 for the Front Range Urban Corridor from El Paso County north to Larimer and Weld counties, including the Denver-Boulder area, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and Greeley.

Increased levels of ozone may occur in the foothills south and west of the Denver metro area due ozone transport from areas outside of the Denver/North Front Range.This Ozone Action Day Alert will remain in effect until at least 4 p.m. Friday, July 29, 2016.

The highest Ozone related AQI at 1 o’clock PM Mountain Standard Time on July 28, 2016, is 49 which indicates Good ozone air quality. It was recorded by the AURE ambient ozone monitor

FRONT RANGE AIR QUALITY FORECAST: Thursday, July 28, 2016, 2:30 PM MDT Ozone concentrations are expected to be in the Moderate to possibly Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups rangeon Thursday and Friday. Ozone concentrations in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category may occur in the south and west suburbs of Denver, including the nearby foothills. Active children and adults, and people with lung disease, such as asthma, should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion in those areas from noon until midnight on Thursday and Friday. Fine Particulate Matter concentrations are expected to be in the Good to Moderate range on Thursday andFriday. Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion on Thursday andFriday. Carbon Monoxide concentrations are expected to be in the Good category on Thursday and Friday. Nitrogen Dioxide concentrations are expected to be in the Good category on Thursday and Friday. Visibility is expected to be Poor on Friday. SMOKE FROM OTHER WILDFIRES: The 27,893 acre Beaver Creek Wildfire is located in northwestern Jackson County approximately 24 miles northwest of Walden. Increasing west to northwesterly winds are expected at the fire on Thursday which would tend to send smoke to locations east and southeast of the fire. Depending on fire behavior, smoke could impact areas far downwind today including Rocky Mountain National Park and parts of the Front Range region. Light winds are expected at the fire late Thursday night and drainage flow will likely pool smoke, perhaps heavy at times, to northern parts of North Park into Friday morning. This would mainly include the area to the north of the community of Cowdrey to the Wyoming state line. Areas of haze and smoke are possible across the Front Range region on Thursday. This is due to northwesterly winds aloft transporting in smoke from the Beaver Creek fire and other wildfires burning in Wyoming.