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2006 Ozone Season Data & Summary

Index for this page:

> Introduction
> Recap of the 2006 Ozone Season
> Monthly Ozone Data 

Introduction

This page lists the 2006 season daily peak 8-hour-averaged ozone concentrations at MassDEP monitors across Massachusetts, color-coded according to health-based Air Quality Index categories (see Ozone Health Guidelines for an explanation of the colors).

Values shown are preliminary. Quality assurance checks may, for a small number of values, result in slight changes.

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Recap of the 2006 Ozone Season

Massachusetts monitors measured exceedances of the ozone standard on 12 days during the brief 2006 ozone season, which started late and ended early.  Summertime weather patterns that normally provide sunshine and heat, and also trigger ozone episodes, never really materialized until well into June. 

Not until June 18, much later than usual, did the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) record the season's first ozone exceedance. Until then, it was persistently rainy and cool. In fact, the two-month rainfall total at Logan International Airport in Boston for May and June 2006 was the highest since records have been kept.

When it finally turned summery, there were several high ozone days in Massachusetts, but hot weather never seemed to last long as cold fronts regularly crossed the area and prevented lengthy heat waves. Although the ozone season officially extends through September, the final ozone exceedance day occurred on August 7. 

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Monthly Ozone Data

Color-coded daily peak 8-hour-averaged concentrations at Massachusetts monitors

Ozone concentrations are reported in parts per billion (PPB). For example, a concentration of 38 means there was an average of 38 parts of ozone for every billion parts of air on that day at that location. "M" denotes that data is missing for that day at that location because of equipment or network problems, or a newly installed monitor not being operational yet.

May 2006
MS Excel 21 KB | PDF 13 KB

June 2006
MS Excel 19 KB | PDF 13 KB

July 2006
MS Excel 20 KB | PDF 13 KB

August 2006
MS Excel 21 KB | PDF 13 KB

September 2006
MS Excel 21 KB | PDF 13 KB

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