Air Quality
The AQI (air quality index) is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. The EPA calculates the AQI for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particle pollution (also known as particulate matter), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. For each of these pollutants, EPA has established national air quality standards to protect public health.
Pollen Count
A pollen count is a measure of the amount of pollen in one cubic meter of air. Counts depend heavily on rain and wind conditions so they do fluctuate.
The pollen index takes into account the pollen count, historical trends, current weather conditions and the season, and is reported to be 90% accurate.
Arthritis Index
The Arthritis Index shows how today's weather conditions affect arthritis sufferers.
The fact that weather has an effect on how arthritis is felt by its sufferers is well documented, with surveys showing as many as 93% of arthritis sufferers believing that weather affects their pain level, and 68% believing that weather severely affects their pain level. Patients with arthritis often claim they can predict the weather, based upon their pain level, and a number of studies have been conducted to test this hypothesis. While these studies show that the effects of weather can vary from person to person, many show that arthritis pain is increased by a variety of weather factors, which may swell inflamed arthritic joints, stretching the inflamed joint lining and capsule, thereby increasing the pain of arthritis. Among the types of weather that may increase joint sensitivity and arthritic pain are:
- Changes in atmospheric pressure, especially falling pressure
- Changes in temperature, especially lowering temperature
- High or increasing relative or absolute humidity
- Relatively low atmospheric pressure
- Low temperatures
- Precipitation
Arthritic pain can be especially severe when these conditions are combined, such as during chilly, damp weather when pressure is low and falling.
Now, available exclusively for our Enhanced-Access subscribers, the AccuWeather Arthritis Index forecasts the most likely level of weather-related arthritis pain for each of the next several days, so arthritis sufferers can have advanced notice of when they are most likely to have increased pain, allowing them to take appropriate medication and to better plan activities.
Flu Index
The Flu Index shows how today's weather conditions affect flu transmission.
Weather plays a role in the transmission and severity of influenza (flu) in a number of ways. The AccuWeather.com Flu Index combines the effects of weather with a number of other known factors to provide a scale showing the overall probability of flu transmission and severity of symptoms.
Among the factors that are included in the AccuWeather Flu Index are:
- Low indoor humidity
- Changes in the weather
- Sunshine
- Population
- Weather that increases or decreases human contacts
- The latest flu activity as reported by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
* Enhanced-access subscriber exclusive, available to the general public for a limited time only
