NOAA Now Predicts Pollution for Most Big Cities

What's tomorrow's ozone forecast? Your local weather guy might not have a prediction, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) now does, according to news from the agency.

NOAA's National Weather Service this week expanded its ground-level ozone forecasting to cover most big cities around the country. The program first started in 2004 and covered several states in the Northeast. It was expanded this week to include Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, as well as the western portions of Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas.

Knowing what local ozone levels will be like in the day ahead could benefit many people, especially those with respiratory problems, according to NOAA.

"Poor air quality is a silent killer, responsible for tens of thousands of premature deaths each year in the continental United States," said Jack Hayes, director of NOAA's National Weather Service. "Weather and air quality are strongly linked. Temperature and lack of wind can create and trap harmful ozone where we work and play. Our ozone forecasts will enable city and state air quality managers to look ahead, see trouble brewing, and issue next-day alerts for poor air quality."

NOAA's online ozone forecasts give hour-by-hour air quality outlooks through midnight of the following day. The predictions provide information on when high ozone levels are likely to appear in an area, how high they are likely to rise and how long the problem is likely to persist.

"NOAA's expanded forecasting guidance gives state and local agencies another important tool for bringing air quality information directly to citizens," said Bob Meyers, EPA's principal deputy assistant administrator for air and radiation. "Air quality forecasts help Americans across the country reduce their exposure to pollution and lead healthier lives."

The Environmental Protection Agency currently says ozone pollution levels are unacceptable when they exceed 84 parts per billion in ground-level air. However, a panel of science advisers has recommended that a standard of between 60 parts per billion and 70 parts per billion would provide better health protection.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "NOAA Hourly Air Quality Ozone Forecasts Now Available Coast to Coast." URL: (http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/20071002_ozone.html)