predicting smoke/haze levels

[RyanP]

Does anyone have any tips for predicting how much haze/smoke there will be in a given area, from wildfires either in that area or even in different states? Are there any resources similar to weather forecast sites that help you guess how good the visibility will be? I am hoping to do my big backpacking trip of the year either next week or the week after (whichever has better weather/conditions), but I will cancel/postpone if the air quality is poor enough to ruin the views. The problem is, I have no idea how to look that up! I've planned two separate trips, each a long drive in the opposite direction from where I live (one in SW CO and one in the Winds), with the hope that the weather and air quality will be favorable in one of the two locations even if it's bad in the other. I would prefer to go next week but could push it back a week, so I'm also flexible with my dates as well. If anyone has any insight into which of these locations will probably be less smoky, or if anyone has any tips to figure this out, please let me know!

 

[Outdoor_Fool]

Try these.

AirNow Fire and Smoke Map

This map shows fine particle pollution (PM2.5) from wildfires and other sources. It provides a public resource of information to best prepare and manage wildfire season. Developed in a joint partnership between the EPA and USFS.

fire.airnow.gov

Smoke Forecast - FireSmoke.ca

firesmoke.ca

 

[Ben]

i don't know much for predicting at a week out, but i've been checking webcams to see what things are actually like in an area i'm considering. a google search shows some results for wind rivers webcams, but can't tell if they'll serve your purpose since it's night right now. you can also get a bit of an idea of where smoke is coming from, and blowing toward looking at the daily satellite layer on caltopo.com

 

[Jackson]

Predicting that far in advance will be tricky. It's been really smoky where I am, and it was forecasted to be smoky until the end of this coming weekend, but we had some solid unforecasted rain the past two evenings, and it's really cleared things up. New fires can spring up and weather can change. If possible, I'd probably just have 2 or 3 different locations in mind and then make the decision a few days in advance when it's more certain what conditions will be like in each place.

Some good sources that have been shared here and elsewhere on the site are Airnow, https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov, and https://tools.airfire.org/websky/v1/#status.

 

[RyanP]

Thanks all! I'll look into each of these when I get a chance (hopefully tonight). If anyone else has any tips for this, please chime in!

 

[Rockskipper]

This is helpful:

WebSky v1

 

[balzaccom]

This doesn't show smoke but it is an excellent interactive map from the NY Times showing where the West is burning

nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/fires-map-tracker.html

 

[Bob]

Weather.gov ....... then look around...