Rare for Mississippi, a Code Orange Air Quality Alert has been issued for one Mississippi county, and others could follow.

The statement is as follows:

“The Shelby County Health Department has issued a Code Orange Ozone Forecast effective for Shelby County, Tennessee; Crittenden County, Arkansas; and DeSoto County, Mississippi; including the city of Memphis for Friday. This ozone forecast is due to forecasted ozone values that will be unhealthy for sensitive groups. These values will exceed the Environmental Protection Agency`s federal safe health standard. The Shelby County Health Department recommends that sensitive groups which include active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, limit prolonged outdoor exertion. Please continue to check the latest air quality forecasts and updates until monitored values return to safe levels. For more information go to www.airnow.gov.

Although the alert doesn’t stretch downstate, people sensitive to allergies may still have a little more trouble than normal as smoke continues traveling through the atmosphere.

A much larger area of Mississippi has been placed under a severe risk for Saturday.

A Level 2 risk curves from Greenville to Yazoo City to the eastern suburbs of Jackson and then down to Brookhaven. This risk area includes most of the Mississippi River communities such as Natchez, Port Gibson, and Vicksburg. Severe storms with winds up to 60 miles per hour and hail are possible.

A Level 1 risk stretches east of the Level 2 and includes Cleveland, Greenwood, Eupora, Columbus, Starkville, Philadelphia, Meridian, Laurel, Magee, and Hattiesburg. Isolated severe storms are possible with strong winds and hail. Storms could impact the Super Regional being held at Southern Miss. Fans and university officials will certainly have to watch the potential for changing weather conditions.

The Level 1 also stretches south to include McComb, Picayune, Poplarville, Columbia, and the western Mississippi Gulf Coast communities.

North Mississippi

A chance of showers and storms in the morning, then becoming mostly sunny. High of 85. Mostly clear overnight with a low of 64.

Central Mississippi

Isolated showers and storms possible all day. Mostly sunny with a high of 86. A slight chance of showers continues overnight with a low of 63.

South Mississippi

Fog early. Mostly sunny with scattered showers and storms in the afternoon. High of 92. Isolated showers or a thunderstorm overnight. Low of 67.

Gulf Coast

Sunny with scattered showers and storms in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy Friday night with a low of 71.