Montgomery County has issued a Code Red Hot Weather Emergency starting today, August 1, at 1:00pm and ending tomorrow, August 2, at 4:00pm.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has forecast a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone for Thursday, August 1, for Montgomery County and surrounding areas.

“Mostly sunny skies, light southwest winds, and high temperatures in the middle to upper 90s will likely contribute to 8-hour average concentrations of ozone in the Code Orange range,” the department said in a statement.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index (AQI) provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people.

An Air Quality Action Day is issued when the AQI is forecasted to be code orange or higher. On air quality action days, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.

Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Action Day area(s) are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce air pollution by:

• Conserving electricity by setting air conditioning to a higher temperature;
• Combining errands to reduce vehicle trips;
• Limiting engine idling; and
• Refueling cars and trucks after dusk.

For more information, visit DEP at www.dep.pa.gov, or EPA’s AirNow website at www.airnow.gov.

The National Weather Service’s forecast is below:

This Afternoon

Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96. Heat index values as high as 100. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tonight

Isolated showers and thunderstorms before 9pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 101. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night

Showers and thunderstorms likely before 11pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 11pm and 2am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday Night

Showers and thunderstorms likely before 11pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 11pm and 2am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Sunday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8am and 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday Night

Showers likely before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Monday

Sunny, with a high near 91.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Tuesday Night

A chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.