ISSUED July 20, 2026

IDEM Updates Today's Air Quality Action Day Forecast

Note: Today's forecast has been updated.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has forecast an Air Quality Action Day (AQAD) for Monday, July 20.

Fine particulate matter levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy range (Red) in the following areas:

• Northwest Indiana, including the cities of: Crown Point, Gary, Hammond, Kentland, LaPorte, Michigan City, Portage, Rensselaer, Valparaiso and all other cities within the area.
• North Central Indiana, including the cities of: Elkhart, Goshen, Knox, Logansport, Plymouth, Peru, South Bend, Warsaw, Winamac and all other cities within the area.
• Northeast Indiana, including the cities of: Angola, Auburn, Decatur, Fort Wayne, Hartford, Huntington City, LaGrange, Marion, Portland, Wabash and all other cities within the area.

Fine particulate matter levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range (Orange) in the following areas: 

• Western/West Central Indiana, including the cities of: Crawfordsville, Covington, Delphi, Fowler, Greencastle, Lafayette, Newport, Monticello, Spencer, Sullivan, Terre Haute and all other cities within the area.
• Central/East Central Indiana, including the cities of: Bloomington, Brookville, Columbus, Frankfort, Indianapolis, Greensburg, Kokomo, Lebanon, Martinsville, Muncie, Richmond and all other cities within the area.
• Southwest Indiana, including the cities of: Bedford, Bloomfield, Evansville, Huntingburg, Mount Vernon, Paoli, Princeton, Rockport, Tell City, Vincennes and all other cities within the area.
• Southeast Indiana, including the cities of: Brownstown, Corydon, Jeffersonville, Madison, New Albany, Salem, Versailles and all other cities within the area.

High pressure Monday will recirculate the smoke over most of the state with the primary concern remaining the northern half of Indiana. This smoke, in addition to the other meteorological factors such as light winds and predicted flow, will produce high PM2.5 readings.

This will produce high PM2.5 readings into the Unhealthy range for Northwest, North Central and Northeast Indiana.

This will produce high PM2.5 readings into the
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) for West Central, Central/East Central, Southwest and Southeast Indiana.

Hoosiers can visit SmogWatch.IN.gov to:

• View air quality information for all Indiana counties, including a state map of affected counties;
• Learn more about Air Quality Action Days and recommended actions;
• Learn more about ozone and fine particulate matter; and
• Sign up for air quality alerts.

Air Quality Action Days are in effect from midnight to 11:59 p.m. (24-hours) on the specified date. Some municipalities have additional open burning restrictions on AQADs. For more information, go to idem.IN.gov/openburning/laws-and-rules. 

Note: IDEM forecasts are based, solely or in part, on data from air quality monitors located throughout the state. IDEM encourages residents of counties within or bordering the affected region(s) to heed the forecast. Air quality information for all Indiana counties can be found at SmogWatch.IN.gov. 

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About IDEM: IDEM (idem.IN.gov ) implements federal and state regulations regarding the environment. Through compliance assistance, incentive programs and educational outreach, the agency encourages and aids businesses and citizens in protecting Hoosiers and our environment.