Today's Texas Air Quality Forecast
The latest forecast for air quality conditions in Texas' metropolitan areas.
February 7, 2025
Forecast Region (Click name for AIRNOW version) |
Fri 02/07/2025 |
Sat 02/08/2025 |
Sun 02/09/2025 |
Mon 02/10/2025 |
Tue 02/11/2025 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amarillo | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Austin | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Good |
Beaumont-Port Arthur | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Good |
Big Bend | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Brownsville-McAllen | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 |
Bryan-College Station | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Good | Good | Good |
Corpus Christi | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 |
Dallas-Fort Worth | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Good | Good | Good |
El Paso | PM2.5/PM10 | PM2.5/PM10 | PM2.5/PM10 | PM2.5/PM10 | PM2.5/PM10 |
Houston | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Good |
Laredo | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 |
Lubbock | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Midland-Odessa | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
San Antonio | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Good |
Tyler-Longview | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Good | Good | Good |
Victoria | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Good |
Waco-Killeen | PM2.5 | PM2.5 | Good | Good | Good |
An asterisk (*) indicates that an Ozone Action Day is or will be in effect for the indicated region. | |||||
A caret (^) indicates that levels of PM may exceed the applicable short-term NAAQS. For more information see the following TCEQ websites:Air Pollution from Particulate Matter and Voluntary Tips for Citizens and Business to Reduce Emissions. |
Forecast Discussion
A slow-moving surface front draped across the Central and Southern Plains will help moisture advection persist as southerly winds transport it northward out of the Gulf of Mexico into the eastern two thirds of Texas. Spotty areas of fog and light to moderate winds could facilitate increasing urban fine particulate matter in North Central Texas. Meanwhile, the burning and industrial activity in Central and Southern Mexico continues producing light smoke and/or aerosols and has been observed affecting portions of South Central, deep South, and coastal bend of Texas. Overall, the daily PM2.5 AQI may reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Brownsville-McAllen, Bryan-College Station, Corpus Christi, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Laredo, San Antonio, Tyler-Longview, Victoria, and Waco-Killeen areas and the upper end of the "Good" range in a majority of the Midland-Odessa area.
Breezy winds in the Northern Panhandle and Northeast New Mexico could produce periods of patchy blowing dust at times but the intensity and duration are not expected to increase the daily PM2.5 AQI beyond the upper end of the "Good" range in most of the Amarillo and Lubbock areas.
Light winds and a stable atmosphere will keep conditions conducive for urban fine particulate build-up in far West Texas as the daily PM2.5/PM10 AQIs net out in the upper end of the "Moderate" range in parts of El Paso, with spikes into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range possible.
Warm temperatures, sufficient afternoon sunshine, and/or elevated incoming background levels could be enough for ozone to reach the upper end of the "Good" range in parts of the Amarillo, El Paso, Lubbock, and Midland-Odessa areas.
Winds will gradually increase across the eastern two thirds of Texas as a low-pressure system travels southward from the Central Plains on Saturday. Urban fine particulate matter is expected to remain elevated as morning winds remain light/moderate while fog could facilitate fine particulate formation. Light smoke and aerosols emanating from the burning and industrial activity in Central/Southern Mexico could continue affecting portions of South Central and deep South Texas as well as the coastal areas, keeping PM2.5 levels elevated as moisture remains plentiful. Additionally, breezy conditions will once again be present in the Northern Panhandle, but any patchy blowing dust is not expected to raise fine particulate concentrations for extended periods of time. Overall, the daily PM2.5 AQI may reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Brownsville-McAllen, Bryan-College Station, Corpus Christi, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Laredo, San Antonio, Tyler-Longview, Victoria, and Waco-Killeen areas and the upper end of the "Good" range in a majority of the Amarillo and Midland-Odessa areas.
Winds will remain very light while vertical mixing continues to be limited in far West Texas, keeping the daily PM2.5/PM10 AQIs in the middle to upper end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso area, with spikes into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range possible.
A cold front is forecast to drop southward into Central Texas Sunday morning bringing drier, cleaner air into a large portion of the state, but is expected to stall across South Central Texas. Smoke and/or aerosols from the ongoing burning, industrial, and volcanic emissions in Central/Southern Mexico could affect the southern and coastal areas with fine particulate matter maximized south of the stalled front where high relative humidity persists. Overall, the daily PM2.5 AQI may reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Brownsville-McAllen, Corpus Christi, Houston, Laredo, San Antonio, and Victoria areas and the upper end of the "Good" range in a majority of the Bryan-College Station, Dallas-Fort Worth, Midland-Odessa, Tyler-Longview, and Waco-Killeen areas.
Very light winds and atmospheric stability in far West Texas will keep conditions conducive for elevated urban fine particulate matter. The combination with pollutant carryover from the previous day is forecast to keep the daily PM2.5/PM10 AQIs in the upper end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso area.
A surface boundary will remain mostly stationary on Monday across South Central Texas as an upper trough pushes onto the west coast of the U.S. North/northeast winds will advect cleaner, drier air into the Central and Northern regions as higher relative humidity remains in South Central, Southeast, and deep South Texas, keeping conditions conducive for fine particulate formation. Depending on the burning activity in Central/Southern Mexico, smoke and/or aerosols could be transported into the Southern and coastal areas ahead of the slow-moving boundary. Overall, the daily PM2.5 AQI may reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Brownsville-McAllen, Corpus Christi, Houston, Laredo, San Antonio, and Victoria areas and the upper end of the "Good" range in a majority of the Bryan-College Station, Dallas-Fort Worth, Midland-Odessa, Tyler-Longview, and Waco-Killeen areas.
Breezy winds in eastern New Mexico and far West Texas could produce areas of patchy blowing dust and push the daily PM2.5/PM10 AQIs into the lower to middle of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso area.
The stationary front mentioned in Monday's forecast is expected to briefly retreat northward as a warm front before advancing southward as a cold front later in the day. A shortwave trough will trigger showers and thunderstorms overnight Monday into Tuesday and will spread from the Permian Basin into the eastern two thirds of the state as the day progresses. Smoke and/or aerosols could produce elevated fine particulate matter in deep South Texas, but any lingering pollutants elsewhere will likely be washed out by the expected precipitation. Overall, the daily PM2.5 AQI may reach the lower end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the Brownsville-McAllen, Corpus Christi, and Laredo areas and the upper end of the "Good" range in a majority of the Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Bryan-College Station, Houston, San Antonio, and Victoria areas.
Windier conditions are forecast for far West Texas ahead of the incoming cold front and will keep patchy blowing dust possible in addition to any lingering dust kicked up the previous day. The daily PM2.5/PM10 AQIs are expected to net out in the middle of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso area and upper end of the "Good" range in most of the Big Bend area.
This forecast was last updated at 11:20 AM on Friday, February 7th, and is updated daily on normal TCEQ workdays 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 below to monitor the latest actual conditions.
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