Today's Texas Air Quality Forecast

Forecast Discussion

Tuesday 12/11/2018
Elevated urban fine particulate levels associated with light winds and limited vertical mixing could be enough for the daily PM2.5 AQI to reach "Moderate" in parts of the El Paso area, with the highest concentrations in the morning and evening.

Elsewhere in the state, moderate winds, cool temperatures, and/or lower incoming background levels should help keep air quality in the "Good" range in most spots.

Wednesday 12/12/2018
Moderate to strong winds, cool temperatures, and/or lower incoming background levels should help keep air quality in the "Good" range in most spots statewide.

Thursday 12/13/2018 Outlook
Very strong afternoon winds could generate and transport patchy blowing dust into portions of the West Texas and the Panhandle, although expected accompanying precipitation could limit the intensity and duration of the dust in spots. With this in mind, the overall daily PM10 AQI associated with the dust is forecast to reach "Moderate" or possibly higher in parts of the Permian Basin, including the Midland-Odessa area; the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the South Plains, including the Lubbock area; and the upper end of the "Good" range (perhaps with an isolated "Moderate" or two) in remaining parts of the northern Panhandle, including the Amarillo area, and far West Texas, including the El Paso area. Associated increases in fine particulate could also raise the daily PM2.5 AQI to the upper end of the "Good" range (with an isolated "Moderate" or two) in the Midland-Odessa area as well.

Elsewhere in the state, moderate to strong winds, cold temperatures, increased cloud cover with precipitation, and/or lower incoming background levels should help keep air quality in the "Good" range in most spots.

Friday 12/14/2018 Outlook
A possible increase in incoming background levels behind a departing cold front could be enough to raise ozone to the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Austin and Brownsville-McAllen areas and the upper end of the "Good" range in the San Antonio area, with highest concentrations in the afternoon and early evening.

Suspended blowing dust generated the previous day is expected to be transported south and southeastward across Texas, resulting in brief increases in PM10 and, to a lesser extent, PM2.5. Due primarily to the timing of the arrival of the dust, the overall PM10 AQI could reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range for the day in parts of the the Brownsville-McAllen area and the upper end of the "Good" range in the Corpus Christi and Laredo areas.

Finally, increasing urban fine particulate levels associated with light winds and limited vertical mixing could be enough for the daily PM2.5 AQI to reach "Moderate" in parts of the El Paso area, with the highest concentrations in the morning and evening.

Elsewhere in the state, moderate to strong winds, cold temperatures, lingering cloud cover, and/or lower incoming background levels should help keep air quality in the "Good" range in most spots.

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This forecast was last updated at 9:40 AM on Tuesday, December 11th, and is updated daily on normal TCEQ work days and may also be updated on weekends or holidays when air pollution levels are high. Regardless of our forecast, we always recommend that each individual determine what level of activity they should conduct based on the actual local conditions. See the "Related Current Data" links above to monitor the latest actual conditions.