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Despite the hazy days, air quality around the Fredericksburg area isn't as bad as it could be, meteorologist says Date published: 7/9/2010
By RUSTY DENNEN The bad news: It's stinkin' hot. The good news: It could be worse, and a break could be on the way. The sweltering heat of the last couple of days is fairly typical for summers along the mid-Atlantic coast, National Weather Service meteorologist Stephen Konarik says. Like an obnoxious relative who won't leave, hot, stagnant conditions have stuck around. "We've just had a large area of high pressure sitting over the northeastern quarter of the country, and that's kept any cold front or precipitation [from] forming in the area," Konarik said yesterday. "It's allowed the heat to build up over the last several days." The result has been overheated cars and tempers, electric meters spinning out of control, and an excuse for people to go to Spotsylvania Towne Centre to cool off and shop at the same time. Konarik says that until yesterday, humidity--the amount of moisture in the air--was far below normal, which made the unusually high 100-degree temperatures not feel as hot. Relative humidity on typical summer mornings is usually between 90 and 100 percent, dropping to 40 to 50 percent during afternoons. If that had been the scenario when thermometer readings topped 100-plus, "It could have been worse," Konarik said. So it wasn't that bad after all, relatively speaking. Another issue with hot air is the haze that has been hanging over the area for days, like beige blanket. In the mornings, it looks almost like a light fog. Moisture combines with minute particles and air pollution to create an airborne soup that seems to cling to clothes--even the landscape. In Northern Virginia the air quality index was in the unhealthy red zone, according to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, which monitors air quality across the state. The culprit was ozone, a component of smog. Though the air around the Fredericksburg area looks bad, it was in the green, or good, range, according to yesterday's readings at monitors in Caroline and Stafford counties. The remaining area monitor in Fauquier County was in the yellow, or moderate, air-quality range. So take a deep breath, preferably inside an air-conditioned place, and count your blessings. Konarik says a cold front will bring sweet relief, in the form of showers and thunderstorms, tonight and tomorrow. That will be temporary; the 14-day outlook calls for above-average temperatures for Virginia. Virginia air quality index: deq.virginia.gov/airquality/ Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431
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