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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →For wildfire smoke in the United States, start with the EPA and U.S. Forest Service AirNow Fire and Smoke Map. Search your town, allow location access, or pan the map; then select the nearest PM2.5 marker to see current AQI, recommended actions, today’s history, the trend, and any available Smoke Outlook. The same smoke-focused map is available from the smoke icon in the AirNow app. AirNow’s map instructions
For automatic warnings, turn on forecast push notifications for saved locations in the AirNow app, subscribe to AirNow email notifications, and sign up separately with your state, local, or Tribal air-quality agency. Smoke can move and intensify quickly, so use alerts as a prompt to check the map again rather than as a one-time forecast. EPA’s smoke-preparation guidance
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Why the Fire and Smoke Map is the right first check
Wildfire smoke is dominated by fine particulate matter, called PM2.5. These particles are small enough to travel deep into the lungs, so a smoke-specific PM2.5 view is more useful during a fire than a generic weather map or a single regional AQI number. The AirNow Fire and Smoke Map overlays PM2.5 readings with fire locations, satellite-detected smoke plumes, protective guidance, and smoke forecasts when those products are available.
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The map combines several kinds of observations. EPA says the underlying regulatory network has more than 1,700 state, local, and Tribal monitors, and the smoke map adds temporary monitors and PM2.5 sensors to improve coverage. That extra coverage matters when a permanent monitor is far from a fire or when smoke arrives between routine reporting intervals. EPA’s explanation of smoke reports and the map
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No single marker describes every street. A reading is tied to a location, instrument type, reporting time, and pollutant. Use the nearest relevant marker, inspect its trend and history, and compare it with local agency notices if conditions around you look different.
How to check your location on the web map
- Open the map. Go to fire.airnow.gov. The map opens with fire and smoke layers and nearby air-quality information.
- Find your area. Use the place-name search, allow the site to use your device’s location, or manually pan and zoom. Search results are a starting point; a marker a few miles away may represent a different valley, elevation, or wind pattern.
- Choose a nearby PM2.5 marker. Marker symbols and sizes distinguish permanent regulatory monitors, temporary monitors, and sensors. Select the marker closest to where people will spend time, not merely the one nearest the fire icon. AirNow’s map guide
- Read the detail panel. The panel shows the current AQI, suggested protective actions, same-day history, and a trend labeled stable, improving, or worsening. If a Smoke Outlook has been issued for that incident or area, the panel flags it.
- Check the plume and forecast layers. A marker describes measured conditions at one point; the smoke-plume and forecast layers help explain where smoke may travel. Forecast coverage is not universal, so an absent forecast is not proof that smoke will stay away.
- Record the practical decision. Note the current category, the trend, and the action recommended for the people who will be outside. If the trend is worsening, plan indoor work, postpone strenuous outdoor activity, or move to a cleaner-air location before the reading peaks.
What the marker’s history tells you
Same-day history shows whether the current value is an isolated spike or part of a sustained change. A worsening trend can justify acting before the next official update, while an improving trend does not guarantee clean air everywhere nearby. Wind, terrain, fire behavior, and indoor sources can make conditions differ between neighborhoods.
How to interpret the U.S. AQI colors
The U.S. AQI is EPA’s color-coded communication system for outdoor air quality. During wildfire events, the Fire and Smoke Map centers on PM2.5. The general AirNow AQI can instead reflect whichever of five pollutants is highest: particle pollution, ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, or sulfur dioxide. EPA’s wildland-fire smoke overview
| AQI category | Range | How to use it during smoke |
|---|---|---|
| Good | 0–50 | Outdoor air is generally suitable for normal activity, while people with unusual symptoms should still respond to their health needs. |
| Moderate | 51–100 | Most people can continue usual activity; people who are unusually sensitive should watch for symptoms and limit exposure if advised. |
| Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 101–150 | People with heart or lung disease, children, older adults, pregnant women, and others at greater risk should reduce exposure as advised; everyone should consider shortening or easing strenuous outdoor activity. |
| Unhealthy | 151–200 | More people may experience effects. Reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion and follow the marker’s protective-action advice. |
| Very Unhealthy | 201–300 | Health risk is increased for everyone. Avoid strenuous outdoor activity and use cleaner-air options whenever possible. |
| Hazardous | 301+ | Emergency conditions are possible. Follow public-health instructions, remain in cleaner indoor air, and seek medical advice for concerning symptoms. |
These categories describe outdoor pollution, not the air inside your house. Indoor air can be substantially cleaner when windows and doors are closed and particle-generating activities are controlled, but it can also become smoky through leaks, open combustion, or an unfiltered outside-air intake.
Why two AirNow views can show different numbers
The general AirNow interactive map primarily displays permanent monitors reporting to AirNow. The Fire and Smoke Map includes those readings plus temporary monitors and crowdsourced sensors. Their locations, update times, and quality controls differ, so a number on one map may not match a number on the other. AirNow’s wildfire-use guidance
| Comparison question | Fire and Smoke Map | General AirNow map or AQI page |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Wildfire smoke and local PM2.5, with fires, plumes, and smoke products. | Broad outdoor AQI reporting across the standard pollutant network. |
| Pollutant emphasis | PM2.5, the key pollutant in wildfire smoke. | Whichever of five regulated pollutants produces the highest AQI at a reporting location. |
| Data coverage | Permanent monitors plus temporary monitors and sensors where available. | Permanent monitors reporting to AirNow. |
| Best use during a fire | Find a nearby smoke reading, inspect the trend, and see protective advice or a Smoke Outlook. | Check the broader regional AQI and non-smoke pollutants. |
When the products disagree, first check whether they are measuring the same pollutant and the same location. Then check marker type and update time. A temporary monitor closer to your neighborhood may be more representative of smoke than a permanent monitor across a county, while a sensor reading should be treated as supplemental evidence rather than a replacement for public monitoring and health guidance.
How to get automatic wildfire smoke alerts
AirNow app push notifications
- Install the official AirNow app and open its smoke-map view.
- Save the locations that matter: home, work, a child-care site, or a place where an older relative lives.
- Enable forecast push notifications for those saved locations in the app and in your phone’s notification settings.
- When an alert arrives, open the map and inspect the current marker, trend, and protective-action advice. A forecast notification is an early warning; the current reading tells you what is happening now.
Notification availability and forecast coverage depend on the location and incident. Interagency Smoke Outlooks are issued only for some fires and areas, so the absence of an Outlook does not mean that no smoke is present. EPA’s smoke-report resources
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- Track and measure – Our indoor air quality monitor keeps tabs on 5 key factors: particulate matter (PM 2.5), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), humidity, and temperature.
- Stay informed – Get an indication of current indoor air quality from the color-coded LED, and detailed information and an easy-to-understand air quality score in the Alexa app.
- Real-time alerts - Get notifications on your phone or announcements on Echo devices when Alexa detects poor indoor air quality.
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AirNow email notifications
Use the AirNow email-notification service for people who prefer inbox updates or who need a second channel when phone notifications are muted. Choose the locations relevant to your household and keep the subscription current if you move. Email is useful for planning the day, but it can arrive after conditions have changed; verify the live map before strenuous outdoor activity.
State, local, and Tribal agency alerts
Local air-quality agencies can issue notices tailored to a county, reservation, city, or school district. Find your state, local, or Tribal air-quality agency through its official website and subscribe to its smoke, AQI, or emergency notifications. These notices may contain local school, event, road, or public-health instructions that a national map cannot provide. EPA specifically recommends combining national smoke information with local alerts. EPA’s preparation guidance
Who should make a smoke plan before an alert
People with heart or lung disease, children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with high exposure—such as outdoor workers—need particular attention during smoke events. Anyone with heart or lung disease should make an individual smoke plan with a health-care provider, including which symptoms require a call and which require urgent care. Personal medical questions cannot be answered by an AQI category alone. EPA’s wildfire-smoke advice
- Decide which room can become a cleaner-air room and how to keep its door and windows closed.
- List indoor alternatives for exercise, commuting, child care, and work that would otherwise occur outside.
- Keep prescriptions, water, phone chargers, and contact information together so an alert does not trigger a last-minute search.
- Arrange a check-in with relatives, neighbors, or workers who may not receive app notifications.
Prepare indoor air before smoke arrives
Use a room-sized portable air cleaner
EPA recommends preparing a portable air cleaner sized for the room where people will spend time. Choose a unit designed to produce little or no ozone, follow the manufacturer’s room-size guidance, and replace filters as directed. A cleaner cannot remove every indoor pollutant, so close windows and doors and avoid adding particles indoors while it runs. EPA’s smoke-preparation recommendations
Consider a DIY box-fan filter
EPA also identifies a DIY box fan and high-efficiency filter as an option. Use a sound fan and a properly fitted filter, keep the assembly stable and away from children, and replace a loaded filter. Treat this as a supplemental cleaner, not a substitute for a professionally designed system or a reason to ignore official advice.
Improve central HVAC filtration safely
Ask an HVAC professional which high-efficiency filter your system can handle and how to close an outside-air intake during a smoke event. AirNow identifies MERV-13 or higher as an option for a cleaner-air room when the equipment is compatible. A filter that is too restrictive for a particular blower can reduce airflow or damage equipment, so compatibility comes first. AirNow’s smoke-readiness guidance
Keep NIOSH-approved N95 respirators available
EPA recommends keeping a supply of NIOSH-approved N95 respirators and learning how to use them correctly. They are for reducing inhaled particle exposure when people must go outside, not for making prolonged outdoor activity safe. Dust masks and bandanas are not substitutes for a properly used N95. Fit, facial hair, heat, and breathing difficulty affect protection; people with medical concerns should ask a clinician about respirator use. EPA’s respirator guidance
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Use sensors as supplemental information
A consumer PM2.5 air-quality sensor can show real-time indoor or outdoor changes and help you evaluate whether a cleaner-air room is working. Sensors vary in placement, calibration, humidity response, and data quality. Use them alongside the AirNow map and public-health guidance; do not treat one household sensor as an official AQI measurement or as permission to disregard an alert.
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- Check before going out. Look at the nearest Fire and Smoke Map marker, its trend, and any local agency notice.
- Match activity to conditions. Move exercise, yard work, and other heavy exertion indoors when the category or trend makes exposure a concern, especially for people in sensitive groups.
- Keep indoor air clean. Close windows and doors, run the prepared cleaner or compatible HVAC filtration, and avoid candles, smoking, frying, and other particle-generating activities.
- Wear a respirator for necessary trips. Use a properly fitted NIOSH-approved N95 rather than a dust mask or bandana.
- Recheck after changes. Smoke can shift rapidly with wind or fire behavior. Reopen windows or resume outdoor plans only after current conditions and local guidance support that choice.
If anyone develops serious breathing trouble, chest pain, confusion, or other emergency symptoms, seek urgent medical care. For non-emergency questions about an existing heart or lung condition, contact the person’s clinician.
Troubleshoot missing or confusing readings
The map shows no marker near me
Zoom out and inspect temporary monitors and sensors, then check your state or local agency’s data page. A lack of a nearby marker means limited measurement coverage, not necessarily clean air. Satellite plume information and local notices can still indicate smoke.
The number seems different from what I see outside
Confirm the marker’s location, pollutant, timestamp, and instrument class. Smoke can vary sharply over short distances, and a sensor may not have the same quality controls as a regulatory monitor. Compare more than one nearby source without averaging incompatible readings into a new number.
The app alert and map disagree
Notifications are forecast-oriented, while the map presents current observations and updates. Open the saved location in the app, review the trend and time, and check local agency instructions. Use the newest applicable information for the decision you are making.
There is a Smoke Outlook but no forecast number
Read the Outlook text and its stated area and time window. Smoke Outlooks are incident-specific products and are not published for every location; they supplement, rather than replace, the measured AQI marker.
A practical checklist for every smoke season
- Bookmark fire.airnow.gov and install the AirNow app.
- Save home, work, school, and family-care locations.
- Enable app push notifications and subscribe to AirNow email notifications.
- Subscribe to your state, local, or Tribal air-quality agency’s alerts.
- Identify a cleaner-air room and test the portable cleaner or compatible HVAC setup before an emergency.
- Keep NIOSH-approved N95 respirators on hand and learn their correct use.
- Write down each household member’s smoke plan, including medical contacts and indoor alternatives.
- During an event, inspect the marker’s AQI, advice, history, trend, and any Smoke Outlook—not just the color of a regional map.
The dependable workflow is simple: use the Fire and Smoke Map for local PM2.5, use app and agency alerts for advance notice, and make exposure decisions using the current reading, its trend, and the needs of the people who will be outside.
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