The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Sunday afternoon issued an ozone alert that runs from 3:30 p.m. until midnight Sunday.
Temperatures hovered in the mid- to high 80s with windy conditions which caused the Air Quality Index to jump and triggered the alert.
Here’s how the AQI works, according to the DNR website:
“Think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an AQI value of 50 represents good air quality with little potential to affect public health, while an AQI value over 300 represents hazardous air quality,” the page reads.
Because the AQI Sunday jumped to between 101 and 150, the DNR issued the alert so residents with certain health conditions like lung disease, asthma and allergies are at greater risk for exposure to ozone, or particles in the air.