Our daily actions can make a big difference for cleaner air in Kentuckiana. With this in mind, APCD and the Office of Air Quality of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) conduct an ozone and PM_2.5 forecasting program. An IDEM meteorologist, consulting with APCD staff, forecasts the concentration of PM_2.5 throughout the year and ozone from early May through mid-September, the months when high ozone is likely in the Louisville area.  For ozone, peak 8-hour average ozone concentrations are forecasted for one to three days ahead. For PM_2.5, the peak 24-hour average concentration is forecasted usually for a three or four-day period.  To develop the forecasts, the meteorologist uses meteorological data, his forecasting expertise, an ozone forecasting model developed for APCD at the University of Louisville, and sometimes ozone or NO_x data provided by APCD.

If ozone levels are expected to reach unhealthy levels according to the Air Quality Index, APCD and IDEM declare an Air Quality Alert for that day, so businesses and individuals can take action to reduce polluting activities. See KAIRE to learn what you can do to help.

The US EPA's AirNow website provides links to air quality forecasts for many areas in the country.

See also the ozone summaries on the Ambient Monitoring Data page.