Today's Texas Air Quality Forecast

Mild temperatures, sufficient afternoon sunshine, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range for parts of the El Paso and Midland-Odessa areas and the upper end of the "Good" range for a majority of the Amarillo and Lubbock areas. Light to moderate winds and limited vertical mixing in Far West Texas are forecast to keep the daily PM2.5 AQI in the lower end of the "Moderate" range for parts of the El Paso area as well.

Light to moderate winds are forecast across Texas as weak surface high pressure sits over the state, along with a stationary surface front remaining just off the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Light residual smoke was observed over parts of North Central Texas and the Texas Panhandle as north/northeasterly winds transport it from seasonal burnings in the Central Plains. While slightly elevated fine particulate levels are expected at times, the intensity and duration are not anticipated to have a significant effect on PM2.5 levels. Additionally, southeasterly winds ahead of the surface front are anticipated to continue transporting light to moderate amounts of residual smoke into portions of the Rio Grande Valley, Southeast Texas, and coastal bend of Texas; however, most of it is expected to remain aloft due to the large-scale upward motion over the aforementioned regions. Weak upper-level disturbances and influence from the surface front will be catalysts for intermittent showers and thunderstorms across the eastern two thirds of Texas, resulting in adequate pollutant dispersal and good air quality for most areas.

Mild temperatures, abundant afternoon sunshine, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range for the El Paso and Midland-Odessa areas and the upper end of the "Good" range for a majority of the Amarillo and Lubbock areas.

Surface high pressure will dominate Saturday with light to moderate winds forecast to persist most of Texas. Limited vertical mixing and elevated urban fine particulate matter in Far West Texas are anticipated to raise the overall daily PM2.5 AQI into the lower end of the "Moderate" range for the El Paso area. Depending on the seasonal burnings in the Central Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley, light residual smoke could be transported into Eastern/North Central Texas and the Texas Panhandle, however the intensity and duration are not expected to significantly elevate the PM2.5 AQI. Elsewhere in the state, slightly elevated urban fine particulate matter as a result of the light to moderate winds could occasionally spike PM2.5 values into the lower "Moderate" range but good air quality is forecast for most regions.

Warm temperatures, abundant afternoon sunshine, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range for parts of the El Paso area.

Light to moderate winds will again prevail over most of Texas as weak surface high pressure remains in place. Juxtaposed with limited vertical mixing in Far West Texas, the daily PM2.5 AQI is forecast to net out in the lower end of the "Moderate" range for parts of the El Paso area. Depending on the seasonal burning activity in East Texas and the Lower Mississippi Valley, easterly winds could transport light amounts of residual smoke across the South, East, Southeast, and Central regions. Combined with higher relative humidity due to moisture advection from the Gulf of Mexico and elevated urban fine particulate matter, the daily PM2.5 AQI could reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range for parts of the Austin, Brownsville-McAllen, Bryan-College Station, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio areas and the upper end of the "Good" range for most of the Beaumont-Port Arthur, Corpus Christi, Tyler-Longview, Victoria, and Waco-Killeen areas.

Otherwise and elsewhere in the Texas Panhandle and Permian Basin, moderate winds and/or lower incoming background levels should help keep air quality in the "Good" range in most spots.

Warm temperatures, abundant afternoon sunshine, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range for parts of the Amarillo, El Paso, and Midland areas.

Depending on seasonal burning activity in East Texas, Lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast U.S., light easterly surface winds in the eastern two thirds of the state could transport light amounts of residual smoke in the aforementioned part of the state. Additionally, urban fine particulate matter may also be a contributing factor to elevating PM2.5 levels throughout the day. The daily PM2.5 AQI is forecast to reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range for parts of the Austin, Brownsville-McAllen, Bryan-College Station, Corpus Christi, and Dallas-Fort Worth areas and the upper end of the "Good" range for parts of the Beaumont-Port Arthur, Houston, San Antonio, Tyler-Longview, Victoria, and Waco-Killeen areas. Lastly, light winds and limited vertical mixing in Far West could help result in the daily PM2.5 AQI reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range for parts of the El Paso area as well.

Otherwise and elsewhere in the Panhandle and Permian Basin, moderate winds, mild temperatures, and/or lower incoming background should help keep air quality in the "Good" range in most spots.

Warm temperatures, abundant afternoon sunshine, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range for parts of the Amarillo, Big Bend, El Paso, Lubbock, and Midland-Odessa areas. A tropical cyclone is forecast to develop early Tuesday morning and gradually intensify throughout the day, keeping relative humidity low and air quality good in most spots across the rest of Texas.