Tulsa's First Ozone Alert of 2007

Thursday, August 2nd 2007, 11:12 pm

By: News On 6

On Thursday, we experienced our first Ozone Alert of the season. Thankfully, we made it through the day without an exceedance. We havenâ€™t had to talk about Ozone Alerts yet, so everyone may not know what an â€œexceedanceâ€ is.

First, Ozone Alerts are issused when high levels of ozone are expected to be in the lowest levels of the atmosphere. Typically, this happens during hot and dry conditions with very light winds. The lack of winds keep the air stagnant and allows emissions from cars, lawn mowers, and other sources to accumulate. We see this as smog. Ironically, these same types of ozone molecules occur naturally in the stratosphere making up the â€œozone layerâ€ protecting us from the Sunâ€™s harmful ultraviolet radiation. While they act as a protective blanket high up in the atmosphere, ozone molecules near the ground are harmful to plants and animals.

There are five ozone monitoring stations located around the Tulsa Metro Areaâ€”between Sand Springs and Keystone Dam, south of Skiatook, Mohawk Park, Lynn Lane in Broken Arrow, and Glenpool. Readings from these stations are taken every hour and averaged every eight hours. If one of these stations has a reading of 100 (0.100 parts per million) or higher for an 8-hour average, it is considered an exceedance. This level is considered unhealthy for people who are sensitive to the air quality.

On Thursday, our highest 8-hour average was 74 (0.074 ppm) at the Lynn Lane monitor. Therefore, Tulsa did not have an ozone level exceedance.

If Tulsa has too many exceedances within three years, then we are put on the Enivornmental Protection Agencyâ€™s â€œDirty Air List.â€ Everyone can help during Ozone Alert days by car pooling, turning off your air conditioner in the early morning, by waiting to fill up your carâ€™s gas tank until the evening, and waiting to mow until the evening.

An Ozone Alert has already been issued for Friday. The forecast for Friday is much like it was for today: hot, dry, hazy, and light winds. Conditions will be very similar over the next six days, and I donâ€™t really see a hugh change in the weather pattern during the next week. Chances of rain are low, but if our winds can increase slightly, it may be enough to keep us out of Ozone Alert-criteria.

As the PGA Championship approaches at Southern Hills, afternoon temperatures will be reaching into the upper 90s with heat index values near 100 degrees, with very low chances of rain.

Try to stay cool, and letâ€™s keep those ozone numbers down.