Another air quality alert has been issued for Philly as temperatures head back to the 90s
It's been worse, and at least Canadian smoke shouldn't be a factor this time.
Temperatures in the 90s Wednesday and light winds are expected to be an ideal recipe for producing ground-level ozone, and yet another “air quality alert” is in effect for the entire Philadelphia region.
Under the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s “code orange” advisory, the elderly, the very young, and those with respiratory or cardiac conditions are advised to limit their time outside.
» READ MORE: The early summer outlooks were bullish on heat
At least in this go-round, Canadian smoke shouldn’t be a factor, as it was last month, officials said, and fine particulates are forecast to remain in the low to moderate range.
High temperatures on Wednesday are forecast to reach the low 90s, with a return of that shirt-clinging mugginess that will make it feel slightly warmer. Thursday is expected to be even more uncomfortable, with highs in the mid-90s.
Showers are possible later in the day, but the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says another alert might be posted Thursday if it looks like the rain will hold off until nightfall.
» READ MORE: Canadian smoke was a big factor in air quality last month
So far this season, code orange or higher-level alerts have been issued 13 times for the Philadelphia region, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The five-year running average for the entire year is 12, said the planning commission’s Sean Greene.
But we’ve seen worse. By this date in the deadly summer of 1993, more than 40 code orange or higher-level pollution days had been logged for the region, with over 85 by the end of the year. By this date in 1995, another steamy summer, 25 such alerts had been issued.
And, overall, while the region has had its share of wild weather, Philly has had a benign summer so far in terms of temperatures — certainly nothing compared to the brutal, record heat that persists in parts of the Southwest, South Florida, and elsewhere in the world.
Temperatures since the June 1 start of the meteorological summer in Philadelphia officially have averaged below normal. So far, no heat-related deaths have been reported in the city, said James Garrow, a spokesperson for the Health Department.
During last week’s mini-heat wave, in which readings went above 90 on four consecutive days, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly was moved to remind people they had been spoiled.
“We’ve heard from a lot of people that it seems exceptionally uncomfortable,” the agency said in a tweet. “June was unseasonably cool, the coolest in almost 40 years in Philly. This kept many from adapting to the higher heat typical of July.”
Expect more of that the next two days.