The Georgia Environmental Protection Division relayed a Code Orange air quality alert for metro Atlanta to the National Weather Service, warning of high ozone levels for Tuesday June 21. The primary pollutant is ozone, and people with heart or lung disease should limit outdoor activities.

Here is what the alert states:

…CODE ORANGE AIR QUALITY ALERT IS IN EFFECT FOR ATLANTA FOR

Tuesday June 21…

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental

Protection Division has issued a Code Orange (Unhealthy for

sensitive groups) Air Quality Alert for Atlanta for

Tuesday June 21.

Under Code Orange conditions, the outdoor air quality is likely to

be unhealthy for some people. Children, people who are sensitive to

ozone, and people with heart or lung disease should limit prolonged

outdoor exertion during the late afternoon or early evening when

ozone concentrations are highest.

For additional information on the Air Quality Index, please visit

http://airnow.gov.

Precautions to take

According to the EPA’s website https://AirNow.gov:

People with lung disease such as asthma, children and teens, older adults, and people who are routinely active outdoors for six or more hours a day –– take any of these steps to reduce your exposure:

• Choose less strenuous activities (like walking instead of running) so you don’t breathe as hard
• Shorten the amount of time you are active outdoors.
• Be active outdoors when air quality is better.

Everyone else: Enjoy your outdoor activities.

May 2022 climate summary for Atlanta area

In an article entitled What is the Difference between Climate and Weather?, the National Ocean Service describes the difference as follows:

Weather is what you see outside on any particular day. So, for example, it may be 75° degrees and sunny or it could be 20° degrees with heavy snow. That’s the weather.

Climate is the average of that weather. For example, you can expect snow in the Northeast in January or for it to be hot and humid in the Southeast in July. This is climate. The climate record also includes extreme values such as record high temperatures or record amounts of rainfall. If you’ve ever heard your local weather person say “today we hit a record high for this day,” she is talking about climate records.

So when we are talking about climate change, we are talking about changes in long-term averages of daily weather. In most places, weather can change from minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-season. Climate, however, is the average of weather over time and space.

The climate report for the Atlanta area for the previous month shows how much departure from the average temperatures that month represents. The average temperature for a date is the average over a 30-year period.

Date	Maximum	Minimum	Average	Departure from Norm	Precipitation
2022-05-01	81	65	73	5.7	0
2022-05-02	86	65	75.5	8	0
2022-05-03	86	66	76	8.2	0
2022-05-04	87	64	75.5	7.4	0.41
2022-05-05	87	67	77	8.7	0
2022-05-06	80	67	73.5	4.9	0.15
2022-05-07	69	60	64.5	-4.4	0
2022-05-08	69	54	61.5	-7.7	T
2022-05-09	73	53	63	-6.4	0
2022-05-10	82	57	69.5	-0.2	0
2022-05-11	84	60	72	2	0
2022-05-12	85	64	74.5	4.3	0
2022-05-13	79	65	72	1.5	T
2022-05-14	82	63	72.5	1.8	0
2022-05-15	86	66	76	5	T
2022-05-16	87	66	76.5	5.2	0
2022-05-17	85	60	72.5	1	0
2022-05-18	88	63	75.5	3.7	0
2022-05-19	90	70	80	8	0
2022-05-20	88	69	78.5	6.2	0
2022-05-21	89	71	80	7.5	0
2022-05-22	88	70	79	6.2	0.02
2022-05-23	78	68	73	0	1.47
2022-05-24	84	68	76	2.7	T
2022-05-25	80	68	74	0.5	0.2
2022-05-26	76	69	72.5	-1.3	0.18
2022-05-27	82	66	74	0	T
2022-05-28	81	60	70.5	-3.7	0
2022-05-29	86	68	77	2.5	0
2022-05-30	89	68	78.5	3.8	T
2022-05-31	87	67	77	2.1	0
Sum	2574	2007
Average	83.03	64.7	73.9
Normal	81.1	61.3	71.2

For much more information on the climate in our area, visit the NWS Climate FAQ for the Atlanta area.

About the National Weather Service

The National Weather Service (NWS) is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The NWS describes its role as follows:

The National Weather Service (NWS) provides weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. These services include Forecasts and Observations, Warnings, Impact-based Decision Support Services, and Education in an effort to build a Weather-Ready Nation. The ultimate goal is to have a society that is prepared for and responds to weather, water and climate events.

>>> Read all the Cobb County Courier climate and weather coverage by following this link.