At SK Lawn and Landscape, we are constantly checking the weather in the Kansas City area because we can’t perform many of our services in the rain or if the soil is soaked after a storm. One of the many weather alerts we get, particularly during the summer months, is about air quality which typically occurs when a strong heatwave is approaching or is present. But what exactly are air quality alerts and more importantly how and why are they issued? In this week’s post, we’ll explore the basics of how air quality alerts work and whether they might or might not affect you.

Kansas City Lawn Care and Landscaping Tips

Air quality is monitored by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) with over 1000 stations across the United States reporting daily. The reasoning is to try to predict when and where air quality could affect the health of those with respiratory issues, the elderly, children, and in extreme cases of poor air quality, the general public. While the Kansas City area typically doesn’t have constant air quality issues like the clouds of smog we often see in a larger metro area like Los Angeles, we do tend to see problems with ground-level ozone particularly when extreme heat and humidity are present like we’re seeing this week. Ground-level ozone is a product of fossil fuels being burned by vehicles, factories, power plants, and other machines that emit smoke, smog, or fumes. The air quality is greatly affected when these pollutants react with sunlight causing ground-level ozone to be present not only during times of the day when more vehicles than normal are on the road like during rush hour but throughout the entire day due to the prolonged sunlight and excessive heat. The end result can result in difficulty breathing, chest tightness, and overall respiratory problems. At SK Lawn and Landscape, we are always focused on what curveballs the Kansas City weather will throw at us but air quality alerts can be dangerous for some of our customers so be aware this week and stay safe out there.