Poor Air Quality Forecast In Parts Of Southwest Riverside County

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — With excessive heat baking the region and trapping ground-level ozone, the South Coast Air Quality Management District is warning of poor air quality on Tuesday for parts of Southwest Riverside County.

Lake Elsinore, as well as parts of Wildomar, Murrieta and Temecula, will experience air quality that is "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups," according to the SCAQMD. (See map above; the orange area shows the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" region.)

People with heart or lung disease, children, older adults, and people who are active outdoors may be sensitive and therefore at greater risk, the SCAQMD reported.

"People in the sensitive groups should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion," according to the SCAQMD.

Increased ground-level ozone forecast on Tuesday is the “bad” ozone that forms closer to the Earth from chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds in sunlight. The term “ozone” is not to be confused with “smog,” another type of pollution that consists of ground-level ozone and other gaseous and particulate pollution, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Current SCAQMD air quality forecasts and advisories can be found at http://www.aqmd.gov/ or by telephone at 800-CUT-SMOG (800-288-7664). Hourly air quality forecasts can be accessed at http://www.aqmd.gov/forecast.