Code Orange Air Quality alert issued for parts of Allegheny Co. following snowstorm, temperature changes

ALLEGHENY CO., Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for parts of Allegheny County on Saturday.

It is being issued for the Liberty-Clairton area of the county, which includes the following neighborhoods: Clairton, Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln, and Port Vue.

According to a release, the air quality alert is due to “fine particulate matter” caused by “a strong temperature inversion supported by snow cover, along with very light to calm winds associated with a ridge of high pressure moving over Pennsylvania.”

An Air Quality Action Day is issued when the air quality index is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher. On an air quality action day, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems -- such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis -- are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.

The DEP said residents and businesses within the Air Quality Action Day area are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce air pollution by:

• Reducing or eliminating fireplace and wood stove use
• Avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash and other materials
• Avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment

It is unusual for the air quality to be in the orange range in winter. Most of those have happened in the summer months, when humidity and heat cause unhealthy air.

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