Today's Texas Air Quality Forecast
April 23, 2019
Related Current Data
Related Information
| Forecast Region (Click name for AIRNOW version) |
Tue 04/23/2019 |
Wed 04/24/2019 |
Thu 04/25/2019 |
Fri 04/26/2019 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amarillo | Good | Ozone | Ozone | Ozone | |
| Austin | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Good | |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | Good | Good | PM2.5 | Good | |
| Brownsville-McAllen | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Ozone/PM2.5 | Ozone/PM2.5 | |
| Corpus Christi | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Ozone | |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | Ozone | PM2.5 | Good | Ozone | |
| El Paso | Ozone | Ozone | Ozone | Ozone | |
| Houston | Ozone/PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Ozone | |
| Laredo | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Good | |
| Lubbock | Good | Good | Ozone | Ozone | |
| Midland-Odessa | Good | PM2.5 | Ozone | Ozone | |
| San Antonio | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Ozone | |
| Tyler-Longview | Good | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Ozone | |
| Victoria | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Ozone | |
| Waco-Killeen | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Ozone | |
| An asterisk (*) indicates that an Ozone Action Day is or will be in effect for the indicated region. | |||||
Forecast Discussion
Tuesday 04/23/2019
Light to moderate winds, warm temperatures, sufficient afternoon sunshine, and/or lingering elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the lower to middle end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso area; possibly the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas; and the upper end of the "Good" range (perhaps with an isolated low "Moderate" or two) in parts of the Beaumont-Port Arthur area, with highest concentrations in the afternoon and early evening.
Smoke from agricultural burning in Mexico and Central America is beginning to filter into Texas from the south and is expected to spread rapidly northward in patches today, eventually reaching areas along and south of a line from Langtry to Temple to Winnie, with the heaviest smoke impacting portions of South Texas. Overall, depending on the intensity of the smoke and the timing, amount, and intensity of expected precipitation, the daily PM2.5 AQI is forecast to reach the upper end of the "Moderate" range or possibly higher in parts of the Brownsville-McAllen, Corpus Christi, and Laredo areas; the middle to upper end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the San Antonio and Victoria areas; the lower to middle end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Austin area; possibly the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Houston and Waco-Killeen areas; and the upper end of the "Good" range (perhaps with an isolated low "Moderate" or two) in parts of the Beaumont-Port Arthur and Midland-Odessa areas.
Otherwise and elsewhere in the state, moderate winds, cooler temperatures, increasing cloud cover with precipitation, and/or lower incoming background levels should help keep air quality in the "Good" range in most spots.
Wednesday 04/24/2019
Light winds, sufficient afternoon sunshine, warm temperatures, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the upper end of the "Moderate" range or possibly higher in parts of the El Paso area and the lower to middle end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Amarillo area, with highest concentrations in the afternoon and early evening.
Smoke from agricultural burning in Mexico and Central America is expected to continue to spread across Texas, impacting spots along and east of a line from Big Bend National Park to Wink to Childress, with the heaviest smoke remaining over South and South Central Texas. Overall, depending on the intensity of the smoke and the timing, amount, and intensity of expected heavy precipitation, the daily PM2.5 AQI is forecast to reach the upper end of the "Moderate" range or possibly higher in parts of the Austin, Brownsville-McAllen, Corpus Christi, Laredo, and San Antonio areas; the middle to upper end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth, Victoria, and Waco-Killeen areas; the lower to middle end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Big Bend, Houston, Midland-Odessa, and Tyler-Longview areas; and the upper end of the "Good" range (perhaps with an isolated low "Moderate" or two) in parts of the Beaumont-Port Arthur and Lubbock areas.
Otherwise in the southern Panhandle and extreme Southeast Texas, moderate winds, cool temperatures, and/or lower incoming background levels should help keep air quality in the "Good" range in most spots.
Thursday 04/25/2019 Outlook
Light to moderate winds, warm temperatures, abundant afternoon sunshine, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the middle to upper end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Lubbock area; the lower to middle end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Amarillo, El Paso, and Midland-Odessa areas; and possibly the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Brownsville-McAllen area, with highest concentrations in the afternoon and early evening.
Smoke from agricultural burning will begin retreating east and southeast as a frontal boundary advances across the state. Elevated particulate levels could accumulate along the leading edge of the front, resulting in brief but high PM2.5 concentrations at times that will diminish rapidly as the front exits an area. Overall, depending on the timing of the front, the intensity of the smoke and its accumulation along the leading edge of the front, and the timing, duration, and intensity of possible lingering precipitation, the daily PM2.5 AQI is forecast to reach the upper end of the "Moderate" range or possibly higher in parts of the Beaumont-Port Arthur, Brownsville-McAllen, Corpus Christi, Houston, and Victoria areas; the lower to middle end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Austin, Laredo, and Tyler-Longview areas; possibly the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the San Antonio and Waco-Killeen areas; and the upper end of the "Moderate" range (perhaps with an isolated low "Moderate" or two) in parts of the Amarillo and Dallas-Fort Worth areas.
Otherwise in North Central Texas and elsewhere across Southwest Texas and the Big Bend, moderate winds and/or lower incoming background levels should help keep air quality in the "Good" range in most spots.
Friday 04/26/2019 Outlook
Light to moderate winds, warm temperatures, abundant afternoon sunshine, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the upper end of the "Moderate" range or possibly higher in parts of the Houston area; the middle to upper end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Amarillo, Brownsville-McAllen, Dallas-Fort Worth, Lubbock, and San Antonio areas; the lower to middle end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Corpus Christi, El Paso, Midland-Odessa, Victoria, and Waco-Killeen areas; and possibly the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Big Bend and Tyler-Longview areas, with highest concentrations in the afternoon and early evening.
Decreasing amounts of patchy smoke from agricultural burning in Mexico and Central America may linger mainly in portions of extreme South and Southeast Texas, possibly raising the daily PM2.5 AQI to the middle to upper end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Brownsville-McAllen area and the upper end of the "Good" range (perhaps with an isolated low "Moderate" or two) in parts of the Beaumont-Port Arthur area.
Otherwise and elsewhere in the state, moderate winds and/or lower incoming background levels should help keep air quality in the "Good" range in most spots.
This forecast was last updated at 10:50 AM on Tuesday, April 23rd, 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.