Author: Greg Friedman

For the Baltimore region, the EPA AIRNow Air Quality Map shows Good (Code Green) air quality in the morning and nighttime (Figure 1).  In the middle of the day, Moderate (Code Yellow) AQI levels develop and recede.  Unhealthy (Code Red) and Unsafe for Sensitive Groups (Code Orange) ozone levels can be seen in both southern California and Arizona during midday (Figure 2).  All these circumstances illustrate how hot portions of the day can exacerbate ozone levels and create safety concerns.

Hazard Mapping System Fire and Smoke Product from NOAA reports the  continuing effects of Russian wildfires and Canadian smoke plumes on regions of Alaska, Canada, the Great lakes, and the North Atlantic.

The EPA AIRNow Air Quality Map shows a large area of Moderate (Code Yellow) and Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (Code Orange) levels of particulate matter in the Montana region east of Missoula (Figure 1).  This is most likely due to several wildfires in the region that remain active.  The Beeskove Fire near Missoula (Figure 2) and the North Hills Fire near Helena (Figure 3) both began in late July and remain active through today.  Images are provided by INCIWEB.

The Hazard Mapping System Fire and Smoke Product uses GOES-WEST data to show moderate and heavy smoke concentrations in the Northwest Territories of Canada and the eastern areas of Alaska.  The heavy smoke near Alaska is attributed to large complex fires in its central and eastern regions.  Light smoke concentrations can also be seen from the edge of Russia all across Canada,  Greenland, northern regions of the CONUS, and parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans (Figure 4).