Thousands Advised To Stay Inside in Mississippi

Residents in Jackson and surrounding areas of Mississippi face potentially harmful air pollution levels as of early Sunday morning, according to monitoring resource AirNow.

As of approximately 2:20 a.m. CST, AirNow shows an area of fine particle (PM2.5) pollution in the “unhealthy” category centered over the city.

According to the AirNow map, this zone also extends west over Vicksburg, north over Durant, east over Forest, and south over Brookhaven.

At these levels of air pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that sensitive groups avoid long or intense outdoor activities and consider rescheduling moving them indoors.

The agency also advises that the remainder of the population reduces long or intense activities, and to take more breaks during outdoor activities.

This is a developing story and will be updated.