Today's Texas Air Quality Forecast

An Ozone Action Day is in effect today for the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Light winds, warm to hot temperatures, sufficient afternoon sunshine, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the lower end of the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range on the north and west sides of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Amarillo, El Paso, and Midland-Odessa areas; and the upper end of the "Good" range for the majority of the Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Bryan-College Station, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, Tyler-Longview, and Waco-Killeen areas, with the highest concentrations in the afternoon and early evening.

The wildfires across the Pacific Northwest and Central Plains as well as the scattered seasonal burnings spread across the state in portions of North Texas and South Plains have continued to produce light to moderate plumes of residual smoke that remain over most of Texas. Light smoke associated with burning activity in Mexico could also be transported into South Texas and the coastal Plains as well. The Saharan dust will move into North Central Texas as well as the Permian Basin and South Plains, mostly dispersing and thinning in the South and coastal regions as Tropical Storm Edouard moves on shore. Light morning winds will continue to slightly elevate urban fine particulate matter in the eastern half of the state in the more populated areas. Overall, the daily PM2.5 AQI may reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Austin, Big Bend, Brownsville-McAllen, Corpus Christi, Dallas-Fort Worth, Laredo, Midland-Odessa, San Antonio, Tyler-Longview, and Waco-Killeen areas and the upper end of the "Good" range for the majority of the Amarillo, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Bryan-College Station, Houston, Lubbock, and Victoria areas.

Light winds, stable conditions, and possible light Saharan dust in far West are forecast to keep the daily PM2.5/PM10 AQIs in the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso area.

Light winds, warm to hot temperatures, sufficient afternoon sunshine, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the lower to middle of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Amarillo, Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso, and Midland-Odessa areas; and the upper end of the "Good" range for the majority of the Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Bryan-College Station, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, Tyler-Longview, and Waco-Killeen areas, with the highest concentrations in the afternoon and early evening.

Light residual smoke could remain over most of Texas as wildfires persist across the Pacific Northwest, the Central Plains, as well as portions of North Central Texas and the South Plains, however it will mostly remain aloft. Meanwhile, burnings scattered across Mexico could produce light smoke that is transported into South Texas and the coastal plains of Texas but Tropical Storm Edouard will likely produce sufficient dispersion in Southeast Texas. A light layer of Saharan dust could affect South Central Texas and extend westward into portions of the Permian Basin and far West Texas. Light morning winds could increase urban fine particulate matter at times in the more populated areas. Overall, the daily PM2.5 AQI may reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Austin, Brownsville-McAllen, El Paso, Laredo, Midland-Odessa, and San Antonio areas and the upper end of the "Good" range for the majority of the Amarillo, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Big Bend, Bryan-College Station, Corpus Christi, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, Tyler-Longview, Victoria, and Waco-Killeen areas. The daily PM10 AQI could reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso area as well.

Light winds, warm to hot temperatures, sufficient afternoon sunshine, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Amarillo, El Paso, and Midland-Odessa areas and the upper end of the "Good" range for the majority of the Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Bryan-College Station, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, Tyler-Longview, and Waco-Killeen areas, with the highest concentrations in the afternoon and early evening.

A layer of light smoke will likely linger over the state primarily due to the wildfires in the Pacific Northwest in addition to scattered burnings in the Central Plains as well as across portions of Texas, remaining mostly aloft. Additionally, burnings in Mexico could spread very light smoke into South Texas and the coastal Plains but will not likely result in significant increases in fine particulate concentrations. Very light Saharan dust could linger in the western third of the state but will quickly disperse, affecting only far West Texas by the end of the day. Light morning winds may increase urban fine particulate matter at times, but the effects are forecast to be minimal. Overall, the daily PM2.5 AQI may reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Brownsville-McAllen, El Paso, Laredo, and Midland-Odessa areas and the upper end of the "Good" range for the majority of the Amarillo, Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Big Bend, Bryan-College Station, Corpus Christi, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio Tyler-Longview, Victoria, and Waco-Killeen areas. The daily PM10 AQI could reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso area as well.

Light winds, warm to hot temperatures, sufficient afternoon sunshine, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso and Midland-Odessa areas and the upper end of the "Good" range for the majority of the Amarillo, Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Bryan-College Station, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, Tyler-Longview, and Waco-Killeen areas, with the highest concentrations in the afternoon and early evening.

Depending on the fires in the Pacific Northwest and Mexico as well as any lingering burnings in Texas, a light layer of smoke is forecast to remain over most of the state, although model guidance indicates it will thin out and disperse somewhat while also remaining mostly aloft. Spotty areas of Saharan dust could also linger in portions of the Southwest region, Permian Basin, and far West Texas. Light morning winds and elevated relative humidity may increase urban fine particulate matter in more populated areas, but scattered precipitation could mitigate these effects. Overall, the daily PM2.5 AQI may reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso and Laredo areas and the upper end of the "Good" range for the majority of the Amarillo, Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Big Bend, Brownsville-McAllen, Bryan-College Station, Corpus Christi, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, Midland-Odessa, San Antonio Tyler-Longview, Victoria, and Waco-Killeen areas. The daily PM10 AQI could reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso area as well.