Do Not Call Me To Complain!
May 22 and May 23 were Air Quality Alert Days. People called to complain. What they were complaining about is not entirely clear but they wanted to know why there was an air quality alert. I responded it was because the Louisville Air Pollution Control District made the forecast. Today, one caller wanted to know why the meteorologists were lying about the air pollution. I asked him if he wanted the phone number to the Air Pollution Control District(APCD) as I explained we do not issue such declarations so cannot possibly be lying. Please do not call us. A tip from the APCD is to refrain from using small engine gasoline devices, like lawn mowers, particularly in the afternoon. A co-worker reported to me that he saw a number of men on lawn mowers along I-71 Wednesday afternoon. I guess state lawn mowers are exempt from Air Quality Alert tips, though thats not reflected in publications of the APCD.
Weather conditions for Tuesday and Wednesday were for highs in the upper 80′s and afternoon winds increasing to 7-15 mph. Dewpoints fell to the mid 40′s on Tuesday and near 50 on Wednesday. This is due to dry winds from aloft in the atmosphere mixing down and turning over the atmosphere at the surface resulting in drier air. I am not aware of any academic meteorological work that suggests evidence of an atmosphere mixing out along with surface winds of 7-15 mph is considered to be stagnant. However, I have not read every meteorological textbook. Conditions were hazy, especially on Wednesday, from smoke originating from the fires in the Southeast. But today’s guilty party was supposed to be low-level ozone.
The Air Quality Index maxed out on Tuesday and Wednesday at 87 and 83 respectively. The Unhealthy range of air quality is reached at triple digits. You can check out the AQI from any time from the APCD website:
http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroCall/
Those are the facts. You make the call regarding what to make of it. But dont call me. I’m not really sure what anyone has to complain about. If we all were a little more careful about our actions all the time, it would not be an issue. I don’t know how the forecasts for pollution are determined or who makes the determination. We just report what the government entity responsible has presented…even if the guys cutting the grass along public highways don’t pay attention.
Here is the AIRNow site, which is supported by government agencies but apparently is not a government site so you can monitor air quality forecasts all across the country!
http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=static.background
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