Air Quality Alert, Heat Advisory Issued For Bernardsville-Bedminster

BERNARDSVILLE-BEDMINSTER, NJ — Try to stay cool today. The National Weather Service has issued an Air Quality Alert and a Heat Advisory for Somerset and Union counties Thursday.

Air Quality Alert:

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has issued a code orange air quality alert Thursday for Somerset and Union counties.

A code orange air quality alert means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups, the NWS stated.

Sensitive groups include:

• children
• people suffering from asthma
• heart disease or other lung diseases
• the elderly.

The effects of air pollution can be minimized by avoiding strenuous activity or exercise outdoors, the NWS advised.

Heat Advisory:

The heat advisory will remain in effect until 7 p.m. on July 20.

Heat index values are expected to rise from 100 to 105 degrees in southeast Pennsylvania and central New Jersey and 103 to 108 in Delaware, the eastern shore of Maryland and southern New Jersey. The heat and humidity may cause heat stress during outdoor exertion or extended exposure.

"A Heat Advisory means that a period of hot temperatures is expected. The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will combine to create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible," the NWS stated.

The NWS offered precautions:

• Drink plenty of fluids
• Stay in an air-conditioned room
• Stay out of the sun
• Check up on relatives and neighbors.

Here is a look at the full forecast for Thursday and Friday:

Today: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96. Heat index values as high as 103. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between midnight and 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. West wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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