The Enquirer
The year’s 10th smog alert, issued Tuesday, has been extended for today , marking 22 days that Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky have been under smog alerts so far this year – and surpassing last year’s total smog-alert days.
During 2011, 10 alerts spanned a total of 19 days; in 2010, there were nine alerts lasting 25 days, said Megan Hummel, spokeswoman for the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services.
Still, Hummel said, “Even though there is a smog alert in effect, the overall air quality in the region our agency serves has improved over the years.”
The Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency issued the alert for Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties in Ohio and Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties in Kentucky.
The temperature made it up to a steamy 95 degrees on Tuesday, about 10 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
Today will be more of the same with a high cranking up to 96.
There’s a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9 a.m. Thursday. It will be mainly cloudy the rest of the day but considerably cooler with a high just reaching 86 degrees.
More rain arriving late Thursday and early Friday courtesy of a cold front pushing down from the northwest will send the mercury into a dramatic plunge by Friday.
The high temperature will only top out at 70 degrees under cloudy skies.
Friday night may feel downright nippy with a low of 58.
This weekend looks picture perfect with plenty of sun and a high of 75 Saturday and one just reaching 80 degrees on Sunday.
