Step 3: Determine Potential Meteorological conditions at the site.
- Wind speed and direction determine which areas will be affected by a chemical plume.
- Precipitation can help knock down a chemical plume.
- Temperature inversions can keep a chemical plume close to the ground.
The worst case scenario for a hazardous materials release would be a light (or no) wind condition combined with stable atmospheric conditions. This set of conditions would keep a chemical plume close to the ground with minimal dissipation.