A wide aerial view of the Atlanta, Georgia skyline on a hazy weekend afternoon, with a visible yellowish-orange smog layer hanging low over the urban landscape and surrounding suburban neighborhoods. The sky has a milky, hazy quality with reduced visibility, conveying poor air quality. In the foreground, a parent and young child are seen walking in a park, the child wearing a small mask, with the parent guiding them back indoors. The late afternoon sun is diffused and orange-tinted through the ozone haze. The mood is cautionary and atmospheric, with warm amber and muted tones throughout. Editorial photography style, realistic, wide-angle perspective.

Georgians with heart or lung disease, children, and anyone sensitive to ozone should watch how much time they spend outside across metro Atlanta on Saturday and Sunday.

What’s happening: A Code Orange air quality alert covers 23 counties in and around Atlanta for the entire weekend. Code Orange means the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups. The first alert runs through midnight Saturday. A second alert covers all of Sunday through 2:45 a.m. Monday.

Who is affected: The alert targets children, people with heart or lung disease, and people who are sensitive to ozone. Those groups should avoid spending long stretches of time outdoors.

When it’s worst: Ozone builds up most during the late afternoon and early evening both days. If you or someone in your family falls into a sensitive group, plan outdoor time for the morning instead.

Where the alert applies: The 23 counties covered are:

  • Bartow, Barrow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Newton, North Fulton, Paulding, Pike, Rockdale, South Fulton, Spalding, Walton
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B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.

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