Fall Air Quality Updates for Forsyth County
What’s Up, Forsyth? In this blog post, we explain how the air pollution and airborne pollen levels are changing seasonally. We also compare Forsyth County’s air quality and pollen season in 2024 with 2023 and share tips for reducing air pollution exposure this winter. How is our air quality changing this time of year? Ground-level ozone season (the period of time when we monitor and forecast for ozone) lasts from March 1 st to October 31 st . This is because sunlight and heat are needed for it to form. Between November 1 st and February 28 th /29 th , ozone concentrations are much lower since our days are shorter and colder, and it is not necessary, nor required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to monitor for ozone in North Carolina during this period. Particulate matter (PM) concentrations can be high any time of year, therefore, we monitor PM and provide the air quality forecast for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) year-round. PM levels are generally higher in win