New Pittsburgh Heat Wave Arriving; Air Quality Alert Issued

PITTSBURGH, PA — Another oppressive heat wave will grip the Pittsburgh area for the remainder of the work week, with poor air quality making a bad situation even worse.

The anticipated high temperature for Tuesday is 92 degrees, and that's just the beginning. The National Weather Service says temperatures for Wednesday will rise toward the mid- to upper 90s and could push area heat indices to or past 100.

Thursday's high is expected to be 93, while Friday the temperature will hit 90.

Thunderstorm chances starting Friday and into the weekend could be accompanied by severe storm risks, according to the weather service.

The start of the heat wave today will be accompanied by a stagnant air mass hovering over Western Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued a Code Orange air quality alert for Tuesday, for the greater Pittsburgh region, including Allegheny, Butler, Beaver, Armstrong, Washington, Westmoreland and Fayette counties.

A Code Orange air quality alert means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups. Sensitive groups include children, the elderly, and people suffering from asthma, heart disease, or other lung diseases.

The effects of the air pollution can be minimized by avoiding outdoor exercise or strenuous activity.

Back to the heat. Allegheny County has activated a Code Red Heat Advisory Tuesday through Thursday.

The activation follows guidance from the National Weather Service and Centers for Disease Control’s HeatRisk tool, which evaluates the intensity and duration of the heat and the associated health dangers.

To find a cooling center residents can call 211 or visit southwest.pa211.org/summer-resources/. Communities are welcome to submit additional cooling center locations if they are not listed at southwest.pa211.org/agency-partners/ .

The City of Pittsburgh has activated six cooling centers in six healthy active living centers in Beechview, Greenfield, Mt. Washington, Homewood, Sheraden and the South Side.