Not at Air Quality Alerts are the same

 

Air quality alerts are not issued by the Nation Weather Service, they are issued by state environmental agencies. Unlikely weather alerts that have a 

• WATCH -- Conditions for a threat are possible, get prepared. 
• WARNING -- Conditions for a threat are happening or will happen soon, take action. 

Most Air Quality Alerts are issued for either situation, especially ozone. Surface ozone is produced by interactions between sunlight and Nitrous Oxides in the lower atmosphere. Level of ozone increase on hot stagnant days. Often an Air Quality Alert is issued as a proactive measure even if observed levels are not a threat. It may take a few days, but ozone levels could become unhealthy for some groups. 

There are also often air quality alerts for smoke from wildfires or other toxic disasters. They are typically based more on the observed levels are local monitoring stations. 

Not all quality alerts are the same, and actions might be different depending on the severity. Best practice is if you see an alert, seek more information. The First Warning Neighborhood Weather Team will update more frequently if there is an unhealthy or dangerous situation. Less if it it's cautionary. 

You can look at local and statewide air quality online,

• In Indiana through the Indiana Department of Environmental Management Smog Watch portal. 
• Data in Michigan is currently not as well published. 
• National air quality monitoring is published at AirNow.gov.