Asheville-Buncombe Issues Yellow Air Quality Alert for March 21
Asheville-Buncombe's air quality hit yellow on March 21, putting people with heart or lung disease, pregnant people, and outdoor workers on alert.
Unusually sensitive people across Asheville-Buncombe's valleys and ridge tops faced a code yellow air quality alert Friday, with the Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency advising them to limit prolonged outdoor activities for March 21.
Under the Air Quality Index color-code system used statewide, yellow signals a moderate concern: "There may be a moderate health concern for people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. Consider limiting prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors," according to the N.C. Division of Air Quality's standardized definition.
The agency identified five groups as particularly sensitive on days like this: people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teenagers, pregnant people, and outdoor workers. Recommended precautions include limiting or avoiding exertion outside, taking frequent breaks, and rescheduling or moving activities indoors. People managing asthma should keep quick-relief medicine on hand, while those with heart disease are advised to watch for shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and unusual fatigue.
Friday's yellow alert also carries a restriction on burning. Open burning is generally prohibited on Air Quality Action Days, and burning trash or other non-vegetative material remains prohibited at all times, regardless of forecast color.
The yellow level sits two steps below red on the AQI scale. Orange conditions would put older adults, children, and people with heart or lung disease at risk of health effects; red conditions could affect everyone. Friday's forecast did not specify whether ozone or fine particulate matter (PM2.5) drove the advisory. Ozone forecasts run from March 1 through Oct. 31, while PM2.5 forecasts are tracked year-round.
Daily forecasts for all 100 North Carolina counties are published through the Air Quality Portal, a collaboration between the State Climate Office of North Carolina at NC State University and the N.C. Division of Air Quality that launched in March 2022. Updated forecasts and discussion for the Asheville-Buncombe area are available at airquality.climate.ncsu.edu. Residents with questions can call the Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency directly at (828) 250-6777.
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