The next two days promise to be the warmest of the summer so far. A ridge of high pressure is working it's way across the plains states which will impact our area. Today, high temperatures in Nebraska reached 111. Click on the map to the left to see the high temperatures across the US on Sunday, August 3. We won't see temperatures in the 100's, but we will see low to mid 90's in the area. Increasing dew points will make the heat even more unbearable. A temp of 95 and a dew point of 75 produces a heat index of 108!
In addition to the heat, the air quality will be poor across the midwest. Today was an ozone action day and tomorrow has been called as well. You can see in the map at right that southern Indiana is in the orange. This means that the air is unhealthy for sensative groups such as young children and the elderly. A cold front should swing across the state on Wednesday clearing the air.
Here's something I found about the air quality on a typical day in Beijing, China. In May, Beijing had an index of 463. The index the last several days though has been moderate with many traffic and industry restrictions now in place for the Olympics. I can't imagine how this will affect the athletes who aren't accustomed to the poor air qualilty.
Air Quality Index
Good(0-50) No health impacts are expected when air quality is in this range.
Moderate(51-100) Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups(101-150) Limit prolonged outdoor exertion if you have lung disease, such as asthma, or are an older adult or child who is active outdoors.
Unhealthy(151-200) Avoid prolonged outdoor exertion if you have lung disease, such as asthma, or are an older adult or child who is active outdoors. Everyone else should limit outdoor exertion.
Very Unhealthy (201-300) Avoid ALL outdoor exertion if you have lung disease, such as asthma, or are an older adult or child who is active outdoors. Everyone else should limit outdoor exertion.
Dangerous (301+) Everyone should avoid outdoor exertion.
