234  
AEUS73 KGID 251707  
AQAGID  
 
AIR QUALITY ALERT MESSAGE  
NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY  
RELAYED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE  
1207 PM CDT THU JUL 25 2024  
 
NEZ060-061-072-073-082-083-261400-  
DAWSON-BUFFALO-GOSPER-PHELPS-FURNAS-HARLAN-  
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF LEXINGTON, COZAD, WILLOW ISLAND,  
GOTHENBURG, KEARNEY, ELWOOD, JOHNSON LAKE, HOLDREGE, CAMBRIDGE,  
ARAPAHOE, OXFORD, BEAVER CITY, HOLLINGER, ALMA, AND ORLEANS  
1207 PM CDT THU JUL 25 2024  
 
THE FOLLOWING IS TRANSMITTED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NEBRASKA  
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND THE NEBRASKA  
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY...  
 
WHAT...AIR QUALITY ALERT  
 
WHERE...WESTERN NEBRASKA  
 
WHEN...07/25/2024 1:00 PM UNTIL 07/26/2024 9:00 AM  
 
POLLUTANT...PM 2.5 PARTICULATES  
 
AIR QUALITY INDEX...MODERATE TO UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS  
 
ADDITIONAL DETAILS...  
 
AN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE MODERATE (AIR QUALITY INDEX YELLOW CATEGORY)  
TO UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS (AIR QUALITY INDEX ORANGE  
CATEGORY) DUE TO SMOKE HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE FOLLOWING NEBRASKA  
COUNTIES: ARTHUR, BANNER, BLAINE, BOX BUTTE, BROWN, BUFFALO,  
CHASE, CHERRY, CHEYENNE, CUSTER, DAWES, DAWSON, DEUEL, DUNDY,  
FRONTIER, FURNAS, GARDEN, GOSPER, GRANT, HARLAN, HAYES, HITCHCOCK,  
HOOKER, KEITH, KEYA PAHA, KIMBALL, LINCOLN, LOGAN, LOUP,  
MCPHERSON, MORRILL, PERKINS, PHELPS, RED WILLOW, ROCK, SCOTTS  
BLUFF, SHERIDAN, SIOUX, THOMAS FROM JULY 25, 2024 1:00 PM THROUGH  
JULY 26, 2024 9:00 AM.  
 
DURING MODERATE AQI (YELLOW CATEGORY) CONDITIONS, THOSE WHO ARE  
UNUSUALLY SENSITIVE TO PARTICLE POLLUTION MAY EXPERIENCE HEALTH  
EFFECTS. WHEN CONDITIONS RISE TO THE YELLOW CATEGORY, THOSE WHO  
ARE UNUSUALLY SENSITIVE ARE ADVISED TO CONSIDER SHORTENING OUTDOOR  
ACTIVITIES AND REDUCING THE INTENSITY OF THESE ACTIVITIES.  
SYMPTOMS SUCH AS COUGHING OR SHORTNESS OF BREATH ARE SIGNS TO TAKE  
IT EASIER.  
 
DURING UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS AQI (ORANGE CATEGORY)  
CONDITIONS, MEMBERS OF SENSITIVE GROUPS MAY EXPERIENCE HEALTH  
EFFECTS. SENSITIVE GROUPS INCLUDE PEOPLE WITH HEART OR LUNG  
DISEASE, OLDER ADULTS, AND CHILDREN. WHEN CONDITIONS RISE TO THE  
ORANGE CATEGORY, SENSITIVE GROUPS ARE ADVISED TO REDUCE PROLONGED  
OR HEAVY EXERTION AND AVOID INTENSE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES.  
 
SMOKE FROM WILDFIRES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND CANADA MAY  
AFFECT THE AIR QUALITY IN NEBRASKA. SMOKE LEVELS AND WIND  
DIRECTIONS ARE MONITORED BY NEBRASKA AND OTHER STATES TO PREDICT  
WHEN IMPACTS TO THE AIR QUALITY MAY OCCUR.  
 
INFORMATION REGARDING WILDFIRES AND IMPACTS IN NEBRASKA IS  
AVAILABLE FROM THE NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY  
(NDEE) AT HTTP://DEE.NE.GOV/NDEQPROG.NSF/ONWEB/AIRSA-3  
 
ALERTS ARE BASED ON DATA AVAILABLE FROM WEATHER FORECASTS, SMOKE  
PLUME MODELING, SATELLITE IMAGERY, AND FROM AIR QUALITY MONITORS  
LOCATED IN OMAHA, BELLEVUE, BLAIR, LINCOLN, BEATRICE, GRAND  
ISLAND, AND SCOTTSBLUFF.  
 
ADVISORIES FOR SMOKE AND AIR QUALITY ARE ISSUED FOR AFFECTED AREAS  
BY THE NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (DHHS) AND  
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY (NDEE) AND POSTED ON AGENCY  
WEBPAGES AND SOCIAL MEDIA SITES. BY NOTIFYING THE MEDIA AND LOCAL  
HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, ALERTS HELP CITIZENS PROTECT THEIR HEALTH BY  
INFORMING THEM OF DAYS WHERE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE REDUCED  
OR AVOIDED TO MINIMIZE EXPOSURE TO SMOKE.  
 
 
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