The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has added Northwest Indiana to the agency’s Air Quality Action Day forecast for today Thursday, June 20.

Ozone levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range (Orange) in Northwest Indiana, including the cities of: Crown Point, Gary, Hammond, Kentland, LaPorte, Michigan City, Portage, Rensselaer, Valparaiso and all other cities within the area.

High temperatures are expected to reach the 90-degree mark again on Thursday at inland areas south of Lake Michigan which, when combined with slightly lower humidity in the afternoon, light and variable winds and a chance for lake breeze, may lead to increased ozone levels in the region.

On Tuesday, IDEM announced that the agency forecast an Air Quality Action Day for Thursday in four other areas throughout the state. In addition to Northwest Indiana, ozone levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range (Orange) in:

  • Central/East Central Indiana, including the cities of: Bloomington, Brookville, Columbus, Frankfort, Indianapolis, Greensburg, Kokomo, Lebanon, Martinsville, Muncie, Richmond and all other cities within the area.
  • Southeast Indiana, including the cities of: Brownstown, Corydon, Jeffersonville, Madison, New Albany, Salem, Versailles and all other cities within the area.
  • Southwest Indiana, including the cities of: Bedford, Bloomfield, Evansville, Huntingburg, Mount Vernon, Paoli, Princeton, Rockport, Tell City, Vincennes and all other cities within the area.
  • Western/West Central Indiana, including the cities of: Crawfordsville, Covington, Delphi, Fowler, Greencastle, Lafayette, Newport, Monticello, Spencer, Sullivan, Terre Haute and all other cities within the area.

Hoosiers can visit SmogWatch.IN.gov to:

Air Quality Action Days are in effect from midnight to 11:59 p.m. (24-hours) on the specified date. Some municipalities have additional open burning restrictions on AQADs. For more information, see idem.IN.gov/openburning/laws-and-rules.