What's up, Forsyth?

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...

  What's up, Forsyth??   Brrr...it's finally starting to feel like winter! It's the time of year for drinking hot cocoa, cozying up on the couch with a good book, and warming up the car in the morning before driving off to work...well, hopefully not the last one!  " Hot chocolate on a cold day! " by  blmcalifornia  is marked with  Public Domain Mark 1.0 . While ground-level ozone isn't typically much of a concern during colder months in North Carolina, we still face other air quality challenges. In fact, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is usually higher, partly because c old weather can trap pollution at the surface through   temperature inversions . Shorter daylight hours in the winter also allows for longer durations of nocturnal temperatures inversions on clear nights with light winds. If there is snow on the ground, this phenomenon may be amplified!  Additionally, air is typically drier in the winter because cold air holds less moisture. With...