Air Quality Alert in Effect Thursday for Eldersburg

The Maryland Department of the Environment has issued a “code orange”air quality alert for the Baltimore-Washington region on Sept. 17.

Areas around the Chesapeake Bay are particularly prone to feeling the effects of air pollution Thursday afternoon, according to environmental officials.

During a “code orange” situation, the air may be unhealthy for sensitive groups—such as children, older adults, asthmatics and those with heart and lung problems—due to pollution concentrations.

A “dirtied airmass” will be in the area Thursday, exacerbated by little wind and cloudless skies, environmental officials said in a statement. “A few areas along the Bay, such as near Edgewood, may see afternoon ’spikes’ in ozone concentrations due to Chesapeake Bay breeze effects.”

People can avoid the effects of air pollution by not exercising outside and abstaining from strenuous activity, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment.

See the Eldersburg forecast and the regional air quality forecast.