Forecast: Heat, with air quality alert in effect for Long Island

An air quality alert will be in effect for Long Island until 11 p.m. Sunday as the pollutant index is expected to eclipse 100, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The alert comes as high temperatures climb into the mid-to-upper 80s where they are expected to remain for the next several days, the National Weather Service said.

“Warm temperatures will continue, that’s really the story here,” said weather service meteorologist Brian Ciemnecki.

The focus is mainly on air quality Sunday with the DEC declaring ozone as the pollutant of concern. The measurement of pollutants like ozone and particles in the air is called the air quality index.

An index above 100 signals unhealthy air quality “for sensitive groups … The general public is less likely to be affected,” reads a message on AirNow.gov.

The Suffolk County Health Department warned residents, “especially young children, seniors, those who exercise outdoors, and those with pre-existing respiratory or heart problems, limit strenuous outdoor activity.”

“Ozone levels are most likely to be elevated after noon through early evening on hot, sunny days,” the health department said in an advisory.

While there is some chance of rain and thunderstorms over the next several days, Ciemnecki said conditions will remain mostly dry into Tuesday. Thunderstorms are more likely Wednesday through Friday, according to the weather service forecast.

“It’s going to remain humid each afternoon, but it is summertime,” Ciemnecki said.

The National Weather Service issued a Heat Advisory Sunday for northwestern Nassau County into New York City, where the heat index could reach as high as 105 in certain areas.