An air quality advisory is in effect Monday across much of the Hudson Valley after rising temperatures and air pollution increased ozone in the region.
The advisory was issued Monday morning and will be in effect from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. for the lower and mid Hudson Valley, including Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Ulster and Sullivan counties, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. An earlier advisory was issued for the New York City metro region, which includes the city as well as Rockland and Westchester counties.
Both regions have air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups, meaning the air quality index value is above 100. The rest of the state, including the Capital Region and the Adirondack Mountains, is under moderate air quality, with an index between 50 and 100.
While previous summers have seen air quality worsen due to wildfire smoke, the latest advisory is due to ground ozone — a pollutant formed when exhaust from vehicles and other machines interacts with sunlight. That means hot, sunny days are prime candidates for ozone pollution. Temperatures will spike to around 90 degrees over the next two days in both the Capital Region and Hudson Valley.
DEC advises people, especially young children, the elderly and those with respiratory issues or who work outside to limit strenuous activity, especially in the afternoon to early evening when ozone levels are often highest.