|Ozone Forecast and the Air Quality Index|
|MDEQ issues a daily ozone forecast and ozone air quality index for the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This is made available to the general public as well as being provided to weather media for inclusion in daily weather reports. |
For the latest ozone forecast and ozone AQI for the Gulf Coast, DeSoto County and the Jackson Metro area click here.
*Note-The forecast and ozone AQI will be posted by 4:00 p.m. daily.
|What is ozone?|
|Ozone is a gas composed of three atoms of oxygen. Ozone occurs both in the Earth’s upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be good or bad, depending on where it is found:|
|Ozone occurs naturally in the Earth’s upper atmosphere—6 to 30 miles above the Earth’s surface— where it forms a protective layer that shields us from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. This beneficial ozone is gradually being destroyed by manmade chemicals. An area where the protective “ozone layer” has been significantly depleted—for example, over the North or South pole—is sometimes called “the ozone hole.”||In the Earth’s lower atmosphere, near ground level, ozone occurs naturally at lower amounts and additional ozone is formed when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources react chemically in the presence of sunlight. Ground-level ozone at elevated levels is a harmful air pollutant.|
|Monitoring Ozone and Air Quality in Mississippi|
|MDEQ monitors 8 locations in 8 counties in Mississippi - focusing on the population centers of Jackson, Tupelo, the Gulf Coast, and DeSoto County.|
To see a map on monitors in Mississippi, click here.
|The purpose of the AQI is to help understand what local air quality means to a person's health. To make it easier to understand, the AQI is divided into six categories. Each category corresponds to a different level of health concern. |
- Green - Good
- Yellow - Moderate
- Orange - Unhealthy for sensitive groups
- Red - Unhealthy
- Purple - Very Unhealthy
- Maroon - Hazardous
|The Clear Coast Initiative|
|MDEQ, together with Ozone Advisory Task Force formed under the auspices of a federal Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) grant, has launched a voluntary ozone reduction outreach and education effort along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, called the Clear Coast Initiative. This public-private initiative encourages local businesses and private citizens to implement their own emission reduction measures when MDEQ weather modeling indicates that conditions are conducive to the formation of high ozone concentrations. |
|Every day, the choices we make can increase or decrease air pollution and can protect or threaten our health. By making simple changes to our home, transportation, and consumer habits we can help reduce air pollution. |
- Drive less, especially during peak traffic periods or hot days.
- On ozone action days, delay maintenance on your home (e.g., mowing your lawn, painting, et cetera).
- Use public transportation, walk, or ride a bike.
- Shop by phone, mail or Internet.
- Combine your errands into one trip.
- Avoid revving or idling engine over 30 seconds.
- Avoid waiting in long drive-through lines. Turn off your car and go in.
- Accelerate gradually, maintain speed limit and use cruise control on the highway.
- Follow your owner's manual on recommendations for maximum economic efficiency.
- Use compact florescent lights with energy-efficiency lighting and other energy-efficient appliances.
- Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room. Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)
- Plant deciduous trees in locations around your home to provide shade in the summer, but to allow light in the winter.
- Recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard and aluminum cans. (This conserves energy and reduces production emissions.)
- Reuse materials like paper bags and boxes when you can.
- Properly dispose of household paints, solvents and pesticides. Store these materials in airtight containers.
|To contact MDEQ staff regarding ozone or the AQI, click here.|