RAPID CITY, SD—With haze in the Rapid City area this morning caused by the drift of smoke from Canadian and regional wildfires, officials remind the public to check out an easily-accessible tool on the City’s website which monitors daily and hourly air quality conditions in Rapid City and everywhere in the nation.
The ‘Air Quality Index’ link has been on the City’s website since 2021 and can be found at two locations on the City’s home page at www.rcgov.org – in the Community Bookmark and ‘What’s News In The City’ sections. Visitors are taken to AirNow, a one-stop source for air quality data. AirNow reports air quality using the official US Air Quality Index (AQI). AirNow is a partnership of the US Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, NASA, Centers for Disease Control and tribal, state and local air quality agencies.
For Rapid City, the Air Quality Index displays a color-coded scale from 0-500, ranging from good to hazardous designations. A ‘green’ rating of 0-50 designates good air quality for the specific area, a ‘yellow’ rating of 51-100 designates moderate air conditions, a orange rating of 101-150 as unhealthy for sensitive groups, a red rating of 151-200 as unhealthy, a purple rating of 201-300 as very unhealthy and a cranberry-colored rating of 301 or more as hazardous.
At 8 a.m. Friday, the index reflected an air quality rating of 81 or ‘Moderate’ for Rapid City with visible haze in the community, and a particulate matter (also called particle pollution) reading of 10, meaning the presence of small particles in the air that can impact the heart and lungs.
The scale is used to communicate the air quality for the Rapid City area and anywhere in the country. Other features of the page include a color-coded map matching the color scale to show the air quality of the region. The Air Quality Index displays the current air quality and is updated hourly. It also includes any pollutants that may be impacting the air quality index and a recommendation or advisory on outdoor activities given the current air quality.
For instance, with an ‘unhealthy’ designation, viewers on the national site are provided the following advisory: people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens advised to reduce exposure by reducing outdoor activity, choosing less strenuous activities such as walking instead of running and to shorten the amount of time of outdoor activities. Everyone else is advised to enjoy outdoor activities.
For more information about the Air Quality Index, contact the City’s Air Quality Office at 605-394-4120.