Memphis: Shelby County Issues Code Orange Air Quality Alert for Friday Due to Ozone
- Dr. Layne McDonald
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Author: Dr. Layne McDonald
Immediate Answer
Shelby County has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Alert for Friday, August 21, because elevated ozone levels are expected across the Memphis area. Code Orange means air quality may be unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children, older adults, active outdoor workers, and people with asthma or other respiratory conditions. Residents should limit prolonged, strenuous outdoor activity.
Facts
The Shelby County Health Department issued a Code Orange ozone forecast for Shelby County, Tennessee, including Memphis. The advisory also covers Crittenden County, Arkansas, and DeSoto County, Mississippi. The National Weather Service in Memphis relayed the alert in an official Air Quality Alert message.
According to the National Weather Service, forecast ozone values may exceed the Environmental Protection Agency’s federal health standard. The forecast for Memphis places ozone near an Air Quality Index level of 101, which falls within the Code Orange range of 101–150.
On the Air Quality Index, Code Orange is categorized as “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.” This does not mean that every person will experience health problems or that the community must shut down. It does mean that certain people face a greater risk from prolonged or strenuous exposure, especially when outdoor activity occurs during the afternoon and peak sunlight hours.
Ground-level ozone is different from the protective ozone layer high in the atmosphere. Near the ground, ozone can form when sunlight and heat interact with emissions from vehicles, industrial sources, and gasoline-powered equipment. Elevated levels can irritate the nose, throat, and lungs and may aggravate existing breathing conditions.
Sensitive groups identified in official guidance include:
Children, especially those who are active outdoors
Adults who exercise or work outside for extended periods
People with asthma or other respiratory diseases
Older adults and people with heart or lung disease
The official recommendation is for sensitive groups to limit prolonged outdoor exertion and continue checking updated air quality forecasts until monitored conditions return to safer levels.
Editorial illustration; this graphic is symbolic and is not a photograph of the official alert.
Perspectives
The public-health perspective
Health officials are asking residents to use caution rather than panic. The primary concern is not simply being outside for a few minutes. The greater concern is extended or strenuous outdoor activity that causes people to breathe more deeply for a longer period of time.
Families with children may want to move sports practices, outdoor play, and exercise indoors when possible. Older adults may also benefit from reducing long walks, yardwork, or other demanding activities during the afternoon. People with asthma, COPD, or other respiratory conditions should follow the medical action plan provided by their healthcare professional.
Anyone who notices unusual coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, or other concerning symptoms should reduce exposure and seek appropriate medical guidance. People with known respiratory conditions should keep prescribed medications available according to their normal care plan.
The everyday-life perspective
A Code Orange alert does not require every resident to remain indoors all day. Many people may continue normal routines while paying attention to the forecast, limiting strenuous activity, and noticing how their bodies respond.
The alert is also a forecast, not a claim that every neighborhood will experience exactly the same ozone level at every moment. Weather patterns, sunlight, traffic, wind, and local conditions can influence air quality. That is why residents should check current updates instead of relying only on a single morning announcement.
The Shelby County Health Department and the National Weather Service recommend continuing to monitor local air quality. Residents can use the AirNow Tennessee air quality page and the National Weather Service Memphis air quality alert.
The community perspective
Ozone-forming pollution is also a shared community concern. Small choices can help reduce emissions during an alert. Local guidance reported by Action News 5 includes driving less when possible, carpooling, and waiting until after 7 p.m. to refuel vehicles or use gasoline-powered lawn equipment.
No single household can solve regional air pollution alone. But neighbors, schools, employers, churches, athletic programs, and community organizations can make wise adjustments that protect people who are more vulnerable.
Why It Matters
Air quality can be easy to overlook because ozone is usually invisible. There may be no dramatic visual sign that conditions have changed. Yet invisible does not mean harmless, especially for people whose lungs are already under strain.
This is particularly important for Memphis families during a season when children may be outside for recreation, older adults may be tending gardens or completing errands, and outdoor workers may have limited flexibility. A calm adjustment in schedule can reduce unnecessary exposure without creating fear.
Schools, day camps, sports teams, churches, and workplaces can help by moving demanding activities indoors or choosing less strenuous options during the afternoon. Parents can explain the alert to children in simple terms: the air may be harder on the lungs today, so we are choosing a safer activity for a while.
The same principle applies to neighbors. A phone call to an older adult, a reminder to a parent of a child with asthma, or an offer to help with outdoor chores can turn a public alert into an opportunity for community care.
Eternal Center
Psalm 121:1–2 asks, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains: where does my help come from?” The answer is clear: “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
That confidence does not lead Christians to ignore practical wisdom. It gives us a steady foundation for using wisdom well. God is our help, and part of faithful living is caring for the bodies, families, and neighbors He has entrusted to us.
At the cross of Christ, we see that love is not abstract. Jesus entered human suffering, carried our burdens, and called His people to live with compassion and humility. On an air-quality alert day, that may look simple: protect a child, check on a senior, respect someone’s respiratory limitations, and avoid unnecessary pollution when possible.
We do not need to respond to every alert with fear. We can respond with truth, prudence, mercy, and love.
Top Three Takeaways
1. Check the air before planning strenuous outdoor activity
Use AirNow or local updates before scheduling sports, exercise, yardwork, or extended outdoor time. If conditions are worse during the afternoon, move demanding activities indoors or choose a shorter, lower-intensity alternative.
2. Give extra care to people who are more vulnerable
Children, older adults, outdoor workers, and people with asthma or heart and lung conditions may be affected more quickly. Encourage them to limit prolonged exertion, follow their existing medical plans, and pay attention to symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, or breathing difficulty.
3. Make small choices that help reduce ozone-forming emissions
Carpool or combine errands when practical. Avoid unnecessary idling. When possible, wait until after 7 p.m. to refuel vehicles or operate gasoline-powered lawn equipment, when ozone levels may be lower. These choices will not solve the entire problem, but they reflect care for the air shared by the community.
Practical Next Step
Before leaving home Friday, check the latest Memphis-area air quality forecast. If you care for children, older adults, or someone with a respiratory condition, make a simple plan for indoor activities and keep needed medications accessible according to medical guidance.
Then share the information calmly with one person who may benefit from it. A community becomes stronger when accurate information is passed along without panic and when vulnerable neighbors are not forgotten.
For more calm, factual, Christ-centered coverage of Memphis and the issues affecting our community, visit www.laynemcdonald.com. Follow The McReport for news that seeks truth without cruelty, conviction without contempt, and wisdom without fear.
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