Air Quality Alert Issued For Garden State

On Monday, the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey has received information from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection that an Air Quality Alert is now in effect for the entire Garden State.

A Code Orange Air Quality Alert is in effect, and that means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups including children, people with asthma, heart disease, or other lung diseases, and the elderly.

There is also a Heat Advisory in effect for New Jersey as well.  Much of the New York City Metropolitan area will be dealing with high temperature and humidity levels on Tuesday.  The Philadelphia metro area in Southeastern Pennsylvania is also dealing with more heat and humidity.  Heat index values are expected to climb into the upper 90s to near 100 today.

Tomorrow, those levels are expected to get higher.  On Tuesday, heat indices are forecasted to climb to about 103 degrees.  Right now, the temperature at Somerville Airport is 91 degrees with a heat index of 97.  Tomorrow, the NWS forecast is calling for temperatures to soar into the upper 90s.  High temperature forecasted for South Plainfield on Tuesday is 98 degrees.

Was just outside for my lunch time walk, and it was noticeably warmer and more humid.  The sky was also more hazy.  There is a more significant breeze to make things a bit more comfortable from time to time, but it is unable to quell the unrelenting heat and humidity.  

Heat Advisory for today is in effect from Noon to 8:00 PM EDT on Tuesday.  Heat index values are expected to be their highest in Southern Jersey, Northeast Maryland, Delaware, and urbanized areas.