LIVE TRACKER · Air & Sky
Air Quality & Wildfire-Smoke Tracker: Live AQI Map
How bad is the air, and where is the wildfire smoke headed?
Hazardous
Hazardous
Unhealthy
Unhealthy
Unhealthy
Unhealthy
Unhealthy
Unhealthy
Source: Open-Meteo / CAMS (US EPA AQI scale) · monitored major cities, worst first · refreshes ~every 30 min.
When smoke rolls in or pollution settles, the questions come fast: Is it safe to go for a run? Should the kids stay in? Where is this coming from? This hub answers all three on one map. The status block above shows the most affected cities by current AQI; the map layers show the smoke plume overhead and the fires and wind driving it.
Open the live map and switch on the Air Quality layer — each city dot is colored by its live reading, with the number printed inside.
The quick decision: read the number, match the color
The whole point of the Air Quality Index is to turn invisible chemistry into one fast call. The short version:
- 0–50 · Green · Good — carry on.
- 51–100 · Yellow · Moderate — fine for almost everyone.
- 101–150 · Orange — sensitive groups (kids, older adults, heart/lung conditions) ease off.
- 151–200 · Red — everyone cuts back on outdoor activity.
- 201+ · Purple/Maroon — move strenuous activity indoors; keep windows closed.
The full band-by-band guide, and why PM2.5 is usually the pollutant driving a high number, is in our how to read the AQI explainer.
The fusion view: cause meets effect
Here's what makes this more than a plain air-quality app. Three layers, stacked, tell the whole story of a smoke event:
- Fires — the heat detections where the smoke is born. (See tracking wildfires from space.)
- Smoke & Dust — the satellite view of the plume itself, drifting across the sky overhead.
- Air Quality — the city dots on the ground, climbing from green into orange and red as the plume arrives.
Turn all three on and you can literally watch cause become effect: a fire throws up smoke, the plume blows downwind, and the cities beneath it light up unhealthy in sequence. Add the Wind layer and you get the forecast — smoke runs with the wind, fastest where the arrows are longest, so you can see which cities are next. No air-quality-only or fire-only map can show you this; the connection is the product. Our how far does wildfire smoke travel guide goes deeper on that journey.
Why bad air can hide in a blue sky
A clear sky is not an all-clear. The two pollutants that hurt most are often invisible: fine PM2.5 can haze the air thinly enough to miss, and ground-level ozone — which cooks up on hot, sunny, windless afternoons — can't be seen at all. This is why a measured number beats a glance out the window every time, and why the AQI can read "unhealthy" on a day that looks beautiful.
When to use this hub
During fire season, keep it open and watch the smoke-and-wind fusion to anticipate which way the haze is heading. On hot, stagnant summer days, watch for ozone pushing city dots into orange even with no smoke around. Either way, the move is the same: read the number, match the color, decide your outdoor time. For active fires specifically, pair this with the wildfire tracker.
LEV is an awareness tool. For health decisions, follow your local air-quality authority and medical guidance, especially if you have a heart or lung condition.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if the air is safe to breathe today?
Check the live AQI for the cities above, or open the map's Air Quality layer for a reading near you. As a quick rule: 0–50 (green) is good and 51–100 (yellow) is fine for most people; at 101–150 (orange) sensitive groups should ease off outdoor exertion; 151 and above (red and beyond) everyone should cut back, and at 200+ move strenuous activity indoors. Our AQI guide explains each band in detail.
Where is the wildfire smoke coming from and where is it going?
Turn on the Fires layer to see the heat detections where smoke originates, the Smoke & Dust (aerosol) layer to see the plume itself drifting overhead, and the Wind layer to see the steering flow. Smoke travels with the wind — fastest where the wind arrows are longest — so the combination shows you both the source and the likely path, often hundreds or thousands of kilometers downwind.
Why is my air bad when there are no fires near me?
Wildfire smoke routinely travels enormous distances at altitude, so a fire hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away can haze your sky and raise your AQI. Pollution also builds up locally on hot, stagnant, sunny days when ground-level ozone forms — which can push the AQI into unhealthy territory under a perfectly clear blue sky, with no smoke involved at all.
Can the air be unhealthy even if the sky looks clear?
Yes. The most harmful pollutants — fine PM2.5 and ground-level ozone — are often invisible. Thin, widespread smoke can raise PM2.5 without an obvious haze, and ozone is completely invisible. That's exactly why a measured number like the AQI is so useful: it catches the danger your eyes can't see.
SEE IT LIVE
Everything in this guide is on one real-time map.