Thunderstorm, Air Quality Alerts Issued for Lindenhurst

The mercury climbed again Monday, creating the perfect sultry mix for several state agencies to issues warnings in Lindenhurst and across Long Island for poor air quality and thunderstorms.

Weather Warnings

Lindenhurst has already experienced one thunderstorm earlier this afternoon, and in the Islip area there were reports of hail.

Now the National Weather Service issued a severe weather statement, as well as a severe thunderstorm watch for the South Shore bays, from Jones Inlet through Shinnecock Bay, until 10 p.m. EDT tonight.

Air Quality Alerts

In addition, the NWS has issued an air quality health advisory for Long Island, the five boroughs and Westchester and Rockland counties that’s in effect until 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has also declared the air quality for Monday as “unhealthy for sensitive groups” in the New York City Metro area and Long Island on its website.

The NYS DEC has cited ozone levels topping 100 on the Air Quality Index (AQI) as the reason for its alert.

The New York State Department of Transportation issued its own warning Monday just before noon, declaring the day an Air Quality Action Day. The NYS DOT release also cited “forecasted high levels of ground-level ozone pollution in parts of the region.”

The NYS DOT is encouraging people not to drive so as not to add to the pollution quotient and offering the following steps to help prevent pollution:

• Combine errands into a single trip.
• Postpone unnecessary trips.
• Take the subway, bus or train instead of driving.
• Avoid letting vehicles idle, such as at the drive-thru.

According to the release, ground-level ozone is a respiratory irritant that can trigger asthma attacks and aggravate emphysema, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments.

In addition, it noted, “Children, people with pre-existing respiratory or heart conditions, people doing strenuous outdoor work or exercise and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the effects of ozone.”

Residents can visit the NYS DOT’s Clean Air NY website for more information and to learn more about improving air quality.