The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has issued an Air Quality Alert for Alexandria and surrounding communities for Thursday (June 12).
The current weather forecast from the National Weather Service calls for Thursday to be sunny, with a high near 94 degrees.
Thursday will be a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day, meaning that the air quality may be unhealthy for sensitive groups.
“Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected,” according to the AQI Basics for Ozone and Particle Pollution chart (seen below).
Air Quality Alert
VAZ053-054-505-506-526-527-122115- Fairfax-Arlington/Falls Church/Alexandria-Western Loudoun- Eastern Loudoun-Northwest Prince William- Central and Southeast Prince William/Manassas/Manassas Park- Including the cities of Reston, Herndon, Annandale, Centreville, Chantilly, McLean, Franconia, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Purcellville, Leesburg, Ashburn, Sterling, Haymarket, Dale City, Manassas, Woodbridge, Lake Ridge, and Montclair 505 PM EDT Wed Jun 11 2025 ...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT FOR THURSDAY JUNE 12 2025... Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for Ground Level Ozone for Northern Virginia on Thursday. An Air Quality Action Day means that Ground Level Ozone concentrations within the region may approach or exceed unhealthy standards. For additional information, please visit the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality at:www.deq.virginia.gov
Air Quality Action Days in Alexandria
The City of Alexandria Department of Transportation and Environmental Services (T&ES) is encouraging the public to be aware of air quality alerts and find ways to reduce air pollution as part of Air Quality Action Days.
The program, which runs through September, is designed to raise awareness of the health and environmental dangers associated with ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter, commonly referred to as smog.
T&ES is encouraging community members to take the time to understand the Air Quality Index (AQI) and its codes, and to sign up for daily air quality notifications on the City’s Air Quality website.
By signing up for Air Quality Action Day alerts, T&ES says that participants will receive a notification by 4:00 p.m. the day before an Air Quality Code Red Day. A Code Red Day indicates that air pollution concentrations are unhealthy for the general population, and precautions should be taken, including limiting outdoor time.
The AQI codes range from green (good, 0-50 value) to maroon (hazardous, 301 or higher value) according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s measure of air quality.
Small steps from everyone can have an impact on air quality, according to T&ES. The City encourages residents to help improve and protect air quality by taking voluntary actions when at or above a Code Orange Day is forecasted, including:
- Replace driving with walking, biking, or using mass transit
- Avoid mowing lawns with gas-powered mowers
- Avoid the use of aerosol products
- Avoid idling unnecessarily and refuel cars after 7:00 pm
- Spread the word and alert neighbors and community members about the day’s air quality warning.
Find more information about Air Quality Action Days on the City’s Outdoor Air Quality webpage. There, also find details on how to sign up for the EnviroFlash program and receive daily notices from the Clean Air Partners.
