U.S. Air Quality

Unhealthy PM2.5 levels in Oregon due to Boze and Tumblebug fires. Santa Ana winds next threat to California wildfires.

The high AOD recorded by MODIS AQUA (top left) along the Pacific Northwest from west central Oregon up to central Alberta, Canada is due to the dense smoke from Boze and Tumblebug fires in Oregon. The dense smoke is clearly visible the MODIS Terra "true color" (top right) image. The smoke is impacting the air quality in Oregon, as upper level winds from the southeast and a strong overnight cold air inversion brought smoke to ground level. Unhealthy PM2.5 concentrations were recorded by ground monitors of the
Lane Regional Air Protection Agency in Oregon (bottom left), according to EPA's AirNow. The rest of the nation experienced Good AQI PM2.5 levels (bottom right).

The spontaneous combustion of manure has triggered wildfires in Ventura County, California. These fires are expected to be fueled by triple digit temperatures and the Santa Ana winds the next few days. Smoke from these fires is visible in today's MODIS Terra RGB image for Southern California. The Santa Ana winds are pushing smoke from the wildfires aloft over Oxnard, California towards the Channel Islands of California.