The scorching heat and stormy weather might have already been keeping you indoors Thursday, but declining air quality in metro Atlanta made it even more important for some to limit time outside.
A Code Orange air quality alert went into effect briefly on Thursday for several North Georgia counties as far west as Carrol, east as Barrow, south as Pike and north as Dawson.
Before 7 p.m., the reading had dropped back into a “moderate” zone, which means the air quality is “acceptable” though there may be some risk for those who are “unusually sensitive to air pollution,” according to the U.S. Air Quality Index.
A Code Orange is triggered when the air quality index reaches a value of 101 to 150, meaning it’s “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” The reading in parts of the metro area was 115 at 5 p.m. Thursday…