Weather and Situational Update for Rockdale County BioLab Incident

The weather forecast for the BioLab incident has not changed. Winds will shift from east to west tonight through Sunday. Because the winds are relatively light (less than 10 mph during the day and less than 5 mph at night), fluctuations in the direction are possible especially near the ground. But generally, the winds will move from east to west.

Tonight the smoke will drift towards metro Atlanta and settle close to the ground, which is common at night time. With light winds, smog or haze could settle over the city in the morning which could smell like chlorine. This does not mean that people in Metro Atlanta are unsafe. Chlorine has a very low odor threshold, meaning you can smell it well before it reaches a harmful level.

For those in the immediate vicinity of the BioLab site and as the neutralization process continues, periodic increases in chlorine levels around the facility are expected. However, any unsafe levels generated from this are not expected to persist. Once the sun rises, air naturally begins to lift and the smog/haze should dissipate later each morning.

Air quality monitoring will continue, and updates will be provided to the public. If anyone is sensitive to smoke in general, they could be sensitive to the smog/haze in the mornings and should consider limiting outdoor exposure as during a typical Air Quality Alert day. Continue to follow the advice of your local Emergency Management Agencies.  

If you experience atypical symptoms that you think may be related to the smoke, please contact your health provider or the Georgia Poison Center at 404-856-6252. For more information, please visit https://gema.georgia.gov/press-releases/2024-10-02/state-and-federal-agencies-continue-monitoring-rockdale-county-biolab.