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Ozone Exceedances and Information

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Ground level ozone (leaves DEC website) (O3) is not emitted directly into the air, but is created in the air itself by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Ozone forms on hot sunny days when pollution from cars, power plants, consumer products and other sources react with sunlight. Ozone is most likely to reach harmful levels on urban areas on hot, sunny days. Ozone, and the chemicals that form ozone can be blown long distances, so even areas outside of cities can experience high levels of ozone.

Effects of Ground Level Ozone

Ozone causes health problems for people, pets, and the environment (leaves DEC website). Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems (leaves DEC website). People most at risk from breathing air containing ozone include people with asthma, children, older adults, and people who are active outdoors, especially outdoor workers.

How to Reduce the Formation of Ground Level Ozone

Routine activities at home, such as mowing your lawn or using your air conditioner, create air pollution. Some ways to reduce ozone pollution include:

  • Choose a cleaner commute - car pool, public transportation, bike or walk when possible.
  • Combine errands and avoid extended idling.
  • Use environmentally safe paints and cleaning products whenever possible.
  • Avoid gasoline and chemical spills around the home.
  • Avoid using polluting chemicals during poor air quality days.
  • Conserve electricity. Consider setting your thermostat a little higher in the summer and lower in winter.

Map
Click on the map to see today's AQI forecast for New York State

High Ozone Level Warnings

Public health officials caution against strenuous outdoor activity when ozone levels are high. To help people decide when to curtail activity, DEC forecasts ozone pollution and, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Health, posts warnings if dangerous conditions are expected to occur. These warnings are also aired through the media and are available online from the Air Quality Forecast webpage or toll-free New York State Air Quality Hotline: 1-800-535-1345. You can also sign up for AQI alerts sent through the GovDelivery system.

Monitoring Ground Level Ozone

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The primary purpose for maintaining ground level ozone sites is to measure, on a continuous basis, the concentration of various pollutants, including ozone, in the ambient (outdoor) air. DEC's sites are maintained through the ozone monitoring season from March through October.

More information about specific sites measuring ozone can be found on the DECinfo Locator - an interactive map that lets you access DEC documents and public data about the environmental quality of specific sites in New York State, as well as outdoor recreation information. Air monitoring sites can be found under DEC Information Layers > Environmental Monitoring with the icon to the left. As a note, you need to zoom in for the icons to be visible.

2021 High Ozone Values - 8-Hour Averages

Values (in bold) below are maximum daily 8-hour ozone concentrations, measured in parts per million (ppm), exceeding the 2015 federal standard of 0.070 ppm.

Note: The column labeled 4th Max indicates the 4th highest 8-hour average for all days to date, not just the "high" days listed. Data displayed on this page and within the attached documentation are preliminary and subject to change. For validated data, contact the Bureau of Air Quality Surveillance at (518) 402-8508.

Eight Hour Ozone Averages Greater than 0.070 ppm for NYC Metro Area during 2021
Station County NY State ID 4th Max 19 - May 20 - May 21 - May 5 - June 6 - June 18 - Jun 19 - Jun 29 - Jun 30 - Jun 7 - Jul 15 - Jul 16 - Jul 26 - Jul 27 - Jul 6 - Aug 7 - Aug 13 - Aug 25 - Aug Aug - 26 27 - Aug
Babylon Suffolk 5150-02 0.072 0.064 0.042 0.042 0.074 0.079 0.063 0.072 0.052 0.054 0.069 0.067 0.064 0.072 0.066 0.071 0.062 0.080 0.064 0.079 0.087
Holtsville Suffolk 5151-10 0.068 0.056 0.041 0.039 0.069 0.071 0.062 0.069 0.050 0.052 0.062 0.065 0.056 0.061 0.064 0.068 0.060 0.058 0.063 0.081 0.081
Riverhead Suffolk 5155-01 0.070 0.056 0.041 0.041 0.073 0.070 0.063 0.068 0.062 0.062 0.068 0.057 0.057 0.062 0.064 0.070 0.065 0.076 0.048 0.080 0.059
Flax Pond Suffolk 5151-12 0.072 0.059 0.044 0.046 N/A N/A 0.065 0.070 0.063 0.072 0.083 0.059 0.071 0.060 0.060 0.076 0.065 0.075 0.048 0.082 0.052
CCNY New York 7093-25 0.073 0.060 N/A N/A 0.067 0.076 0.069 0.057 0.073 0.056 0.066 0.065 0.062 0.056 0.077 0.072 0.064 0.078 0.070 0.081 0.063
Pfizer Lab Bronx 7094-10 0.073 0.061 0.042 0.043 0.071 0.074 0.067 0.058 0.069 0.060 0.069 0.069 0.063 0.054 0.072 0.073 0.066 0.076 0.075 0.085 0.061
IS 52 Bronx 7094-07 0.070 0.061 0.040 0.041 0.070 0.074 0.066 0.058 0.069 0.061 0.067 0.065 0.065 0.058 0.069 0.070 0.062 0.076 0.068 0.080 0.063
Queens College 2 Queens 7096-15 0.073 0.068 0.040 0.044 0.078 0.074 0.065 0.069 0.055 0.070 0.071 0.035 0.067 0.070 0.067 0.072 0.061 0.078 0.073 0.074 0.072
Fresh Kills West Richmond 7097-01 0.070 0.068 0.042 0.047 0.006 N/A 0.071 0.059 0.062 0.056 0.065 0.070 0.055 0.055 0.066 0.067 0.061 0.075 0.077 0.074 0.074
White Plains Westchester 5902-04 0.071 0.059 0.049 0.048 0.067 0.067 0.065 0.053 0.067 0.060 0.068 0.071 0.061 0.053 0.072 0.078 0.071 0.062 0.058 0.083 0.048
Rockland County Rockland 4353-02 0.061 0.059 0.049 0.065 0.058 0.061 0.070 0.048 0.053 0.052 0.056 0.056 0.045 0.045 0.052 0.064 0.041 0.048 0.056 0.069 0.048
Eight Hour Ozone Averages Greater than 0.070 ppm for Upstate NY during 2021
Station County NY State ID 4th Max 19 - May 20 - May 21 - May 5 - June 6 - June 18 - Jun 19 - Jun 29 - Jun 30 - Jun 7 - Jul 15 - Jul 16 - Jul 26 - Jul 27 - Jul 6 - Aug 7 - Aug 13 - Aug 25 - Aug Aug - 26 27 - Aug
Valley Central Orange 3527-01 0.059 0.057 0.058 0.065 0.060 0.056 0.062 0.048 0.052 0.042 0.047 0.043 0.039 0.045 0.047 0.056 0.047 0.042 N/A N/A N/A
Millbrook Dutchess 1328-01 0.061 0.058 0.061 0.079 0.061 0.061 0.059 0.047 0.046 0.043 0.022 0.055 0.040 0.045 0.048 0.055 0.045 0.046 0.046 0.058 0.037
Mt. Ninham Putnam 3951-01 0.063 0.059 0.059 0.074 0.061 0.060 0.063 0.051 0.051 0.048 0.049 0.053 0.044 0.048 0.048 0.056 0.045 0.045 0.042 0.058 0.041
Loudonville Albany 0101-33 0.062 0.052 0.059 0.067 0.062 0.062 0.045 N/A 0.043 0.044 0.044 0.044 0.045 0.046 0.047 0.050 0.050 0.046 0.055 0.052 0.033
Stillwater Saratoga 4567-01 0.060 0.048 0.059 0.068 0.065 0.062 0.056 0.053 0.044 0.039 0.027 0.044 0.041 0.043 0.040 0.050 0.051 0.041 0.055 0.043 0.032
0.046Whiteface Summit Essex 1567-03 0.066 0.061 0.061 0.068 0.071 0.069 0.060 0.049 0.044 0.040 0.046 0.045 0.047 0.042 0.027 0.058 0.057 0.047 0.055 0.054 0.046
White0.037face Base Essex 1567-04 0.065 0.052 0.055 0.065 0.067 0.066 0.056 0.046 0.044 0.040 0.017 0.045 0.045 0.043 0.030 0.044 N/A N/A 0.055 0.052 0.037
Piseco Lak0.0e Hamilton 2050-01 0.060 0.054 0.054 0.063 0.070 0.070 0.054 0.047 0.040 0.039 0.033 0.043 0.042 0.043 0.034 0.051 0.053 0.038 0.047 0.045 0.038
Perch River Jefferson 2223-01 0.067 0.051 0.053 0.068 0.069 0.067 0.051 0.058 0.049 0.046 0.025 0.043 0.036 0.052 0.019 0.052 0.056 0.044 0.052 0.045 0.027
East Syracuse Onondaga 3353-09 0.067 0.062 0.067 0.069 0.069 0.068 0.055 0.054 0.044 0.037 0.037 0.047 0.042 0.046 0.043 0.056 0.056 0.043 0.058 0.051 0.033
Fulton Oswego 3754-01 0.066 0.058 0.064 0.066 0.069 0.067 0.051 0.054 0.046 0.044 0.022 0.046 0.042 0.044 0.040 0.051 0.053 0.040 0.050 0.044 0.028
Rochester 2 Monroe 2701-22 0.066 0.060 0.067 0.065 0.069 0.065 0.048 0.056 0.052 0.043 0.024 0.048 0.040 0.049 0.051 0.059 0.056 0.042 0.056 0.051 0.031
Williamson Wayne 5863-01 0.065 0.061 0.061 0.070 0.069 0.065 0.045 0.058 0.051 0.046 0.026 0.045 0.040 0.050 0.047 0.060 0.058 0.039 0.052 0.052 0.030
Pinnacle Steuben 5001-04 0.060 0.060 0.062 0.059 0.059 0.055 0.056 0.042 0.040 0.031 0.047 0.045 0.034 0.042 0.039 0.052 0.042 0.034 0.050 0.030 0.031
Amherst Erie 1451-03 0.068 0.071 0.069 0.067 0.070 0.063 0.057 0.054 0.053 0.043 0.049 0.052 0.039 0.056 0.053 0.058 0.060 0.046 N/A N/A N/A
Middleport Niagara 3120-02 0.066 0.064 0.073 0.061 0.067 0.061 0.053 0.054 0.047 0.043 0.025 0.048 0.036 0.049 0.047 0.057 0.056 0.041 0.049 0.051 0.029
Dunkirk Chautauqua 0601-04 0.066 0.064 0.072 0.070 0.070 0.061 0.053 0.050 0.054 0.043 0.059 0.047 0.041 0.063 0.058 0.055 0.055 0.043 0.041 0.043 0.045

This table is provided for your convenience - 2021 High Ozone Values (PDF)

Previous years:

2020 High Ozone Values (PDF)

2019 High Ozone Values (PDF)

2018 High Ozone Values (PDF)



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