The state Department of Environmental Protection has issued a code orange air quality alert for the greater Pittsburgh area on Monday.

The alert is in effect until 4 p.m. for Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

The code orange alert means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children, the elderly, and people suffering from asthma, heart disease or other lung diseases.

The effects of air pollution can be minimized by avoiding outdoor exercise or strenuous activity.

While smoke from Canadian wildfires has impacted the area recently, this alert is due to local pollution and an inversion that is keeping air closer to the surface, meteorologist David Shallenberger said.

“There’s a little bit of smoke in the area but it’s not the main cause for it,” he said.

Information on current air quality conditions is available online at airnow.gov.

After a cool start to June, temperatures are beginning to rise ahead of the official start of summer on Wednesday.

The high temperature is forecast to reach 87 on Monday, which Shallenberger said is 5-to-7 degrees above normal.

There is a small chance of rain in the forecast for Tuesday through Thursday, with a greater chance of rain by the weekend.

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