Does air quality worsen in spring and summer? How Charlotte weather impacts what you breathe
Air quality isn’t always mentioned in weather forecasts or talked about in everyday life like the temperature and the chance of rain, but it is something we can track that has an impact on our health.
And Charlotte is an area where it’s worth keeping an eye on air quality.
The American Lung Association gave Mecklenburg County an “F” on ozone pollution and a “B” on particle pollution in its 2022 Air Quality Report.
The weather also has an impact on air quality, too.
Here’s what to know about how air quality impacts your daily life this time of year and how to track it:
Does air quality get worse in spring and summer?
The different seasons, including spring and summer, can affect air quality in different ways, according to experts.
“Some types of pollution are worse in the summer heat, while others are worse in cold winter weather,” the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research’s Center for Science Education says. “The same atmospheric conditions that create weather — air pressure, temperature, and humidity — also affect air quality.”
“Sunny, hot weather” can increase “ground-level ozone” because “the reactions that create harmful ozone in our atmosphere require sunlight.” That means ozone pollution can reach “dangerous levels in cities or nearby rural areas” during heat waves.
“Thankfully, humidity can help to decrease ozone pollution” the Center for Science Education notes. “Afternoon thunderstorm clouds block sunlight, causing ozone production to slow down for the day, while moisture from the storm destroys the ozone that has formed.”
Warm, dry weather ups the risk for wildfires, which can lead to smoke that also worsens air quality.
How does air quality affect our health?
Poor air quality, a sign of air pollution, can have an impact on the health of people, especially those with certain medical conditions, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
It “can affect lung development and is implicated in the development of emphysema, asthma, and other respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” the NIEHS says. And poor quality can also aggravate those conditions.
Some forms of air pollution can also lead to or negatively impact cardiovascular conditions or cancer, the NIEHS adds.
And even if you don’t have a preexisting condition, you will likely still feel the impacts of low air quality, per the NIEHS.
“Almost 9 out of 10 people who live in urban areas worldwide are affected by air pollution,” the agency says.
How to track air quality in Charlotte
Air quality is not a static thing — it can fluctuate daily or even over the course of a day. If you want to keep track of it to help determine your plans, there are multiple ways to do so.
Many popular weather apps, including those that come pre-downloaded on common smartphones, have a segment about air quality for the city you’re in.
You can also go to airnow.gov and type in your state, city or ZIP code to get information on the current air quality in your area and see air quality forecasts for the coming days.
And if you want to collect even more information for yourself, you can get an air quality tracker for your home or office. Various monitors are available from major retailers such as Amazon and CVS and can range in price from about $30 to hundreds of dollars.
This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Does air quality worsen in spring and summer? How Charlotte weather impacts what you breathe."
