PHOENIX (Oct. 22, 2024) —  Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) officials announced today that it will begin providing air quality forecasts for West Pinal County communities starting Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. Forecasting responsibilities will be transferred from Pinal County to ADEQ's Air Quality Meteorologists, who will provide hourly forecasts for PM₁₀ (dust), PM_2.5 (smoke) and ozone Monday through Friday. People currently subscribed to receive the Pinal County air quality alerts through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) AirNow EnviroFlash system will continue to receive relevant air quality forecast information through this platform without interruption. 

"Air quality forecasts help people and communities limit exposure to unhealthy air pollutants and reduce the risk of health problems. Our department is thankful to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for helping to facilitate a smooth transition of the forecast duties," said Pinal County Director of Air Quality Anu Jain. "Both agencies are dedicated to protecting public health, and this collaborative effort demonstrates our continued commitment to providing our communities with reliable and timely information to minimize potential health risks."

As part of the air quality forecasting transition, ADEQ’s new West Pinal County forecast will include most of the communities within Pinal County. Air quality forecasts for the Apache Junction and Queen Valley communities will be included in the Phoenix forecast. ADEQ meteorologists will continue to include the Hidden Valley community in its dust risk forecasts for Pinal County, however, the PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI) forecasts for this area will be discontinued | View >

ADEQ encourages Pinal County communities to sign up directly with ADEQ to receive air quality forecast information:

• West Pinal County | Subscribe >
• Phoenix (Apache Junction and Queen Valley) | Subscribe >

Note: ADEQ is soon upgrading to a new notification system and will contact subscribers with instructions for how to opt-in to the new system. 

ADEQ air quality meteorologists issue hourly forecasts for multiple Arizona communities five days a week, Monday through Friday, with each providing a five-day outlook. These forecasts are based on the EPA AQI and federal health standards. An AQI value of 100 for an air pollutant generally corresponds to EPA’s federal health standard for that pollutant — the level EPA set to protect public health. According to EPA’s AQI, pollutant levels with an AQI value at or less than 100 are considered satisfactory and values greater than 100 are considered to be unhealthy — at first for certain sensitive groups of people, and then for everyone as AQI values increase.

• ADEQ Air Quality Forecasts | View >
• EPA's AQI Guide | View >
• Be Air Aware | Learn More >

When ADEQ air quality meteorologists identify the potential for a forecasted pollutant to exceed the federal health standard (100 AQI), ADEQ will issue a High Pollution Watch (HPW). The HPW serves as an early outlook (up to five days) and provides people with advance notice of potential poor air quality — information they can use to make plans related to their work and outdoor recreation.

As the date of an issued HPW nears and additional data are available to strengthen the forecast analysis, if appropriate, ADEQ will upgrade the HPW to a High Pollution Advisory (HPA). ADEQ issues an HPA when exceedance of the federal health standard for a forecasted pollutant is imminent or there is a high probability.

Air Quality & Your Health

People most vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution include children, older adults, adults exercising outdoors, people with heart or lung disease and those suffering from asthma and bronchitis. Exposure can increase the number and severity of asthma attacks, cause or aggravate bronchitis or other lung disease and reduce the body’s ability to fight infection. Symptoms may include itchy eyes, nose, and throat, wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain and upper respiratory issues.

In addition to sending out air quality alerts to its subscribers and posting HPWs and/or HPAs on ADEQ's website, people can also stay informed about these alerts by following ADEQ’s social media channels:

• Facebook | View >
• Instagram | View >
• LinkedIn | View >
• X | View >

Contact

ADEQ Public Information Officer
Ph: 480-670-1600
Email >