U.S. Air Quality

Black Smoke Over Puerto Rico

The smoke from the refinery is still visible in today's MODIS Terra RGB image. The circled area in the MODIS AOD image (right) is associated with the aloft black smoke from the refinery fire. Wind direction in the region, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), is expected to change following an east to west pattern that will spread the smoke plume along the northern coast of Puerto Rico. Also, there is a chance of rain showers to develop tomorrow over the island and the NWS is urging residents to stay indoors to avoid exposure to harmful particulate as acid rain may form.