Today's Texas Air Quality Forecast

Light daytime winds along with some light continental haze may slightly increase urban fine particulate PM2.5 background levels over portions of the eastern two-thirds of the state as a weak cold front is expected to move through the Texas Panhandle and approach the South Plains, North Central, and Northeast Texas. Additionally, isolated agricultural burning activities across parts of the state are producing very light density smoke that may contribute towards slightly increasing background PM2.5 levels. Also, an additional area of very light density residual smoke and aerosols attributed to scattered agricultural burnings, volcanic emissions, and industrial sources across portions of southern Mexico are extending along the Western Gulf of Mexico and over parts of deep South Texas. The overall daily PM2.5 AQI may reach the lower end of the "Moderate" in parts of the Beaumont-Port Arthur, Brownsville-McAllen, Bryan-College Station, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Waco-Killeen areas and stay in the "Good" range for the majority of the Austin, Corpus Christi, Laredo, Tyler-Longview, and Victoria areas.

Light surface winds combined with limited morning vertical mixing are expected to keep fine particulate pollutants near the ground and raise the daily PM2.5/PM10 AQIs to the middle of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso area.

Little impacts are expected for most of the South Plains, Permian Basin, North Central, and Northeast Texas as the aforementioned weak cold front moves through these regions and continues to weaken across Central and Southeast Texas. Light north to easterly daytime winds for the eastern two-thirds of the state may continue to transport slightly increased urban fine particulate background levels associated with continental haze as well as light amounts of thin density residual smoke from isolated agricultural burning activities in parts of the state in addition to the southern Mississippi River Valley over portions of East, Southeast, North Central, South Central, and South Texas. The overall daily PM2.5 AQI may reach the lower end of the "Moderate" in parts of the Austin, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Bryan-College Station, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Tyler-Longview, and Waco-Killeen areas and stay in the "Good" range for the majority of the Brownsville-McAllen, Corpus Christi, Laredo, and Victoria areas.

Slightly elevated urban fine particulate background levels over portions of Far West Texas associated with light daytime winds and limited morning vertical mixing could maintain the daily PM2.5/PM10 AQIs at the middle of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso area.

Southerly winds across the state will bring a brief, more humid Gulf airmass over the state. Depending on the amount of scattered agricultural burning activities across parts of the state, the southern Mississippi River Valley, in addition to scattered agricultural burnings, volcanic emissions, and industrial sources across portions of southern Mexico, light amounts of thin density residual smoke may persist mainly over parts of East, Southeast, North Central, South Central, and South Texas. The overall daily PM2.5 AQI may rise to the lower end of the "Moderate" in parts of the Beaumont-Port Arthur, Brownsville-McAllen, Bryan-College Station, Corpus Christi, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Tyler-Longview, and Waco-Killeen areas and stay in the "Good" range for the majority of the Austin, Laredo, San Antonio, and Victoria areas.

Elevated urban fine particulate background levels over portions of Far West Texas associated with light daytime winds and limited morning vertical mixing could raise the daily PM2.5/PM10 AQIs to the middle to upper end of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso area.

An arctic cold front and airmass will move over the majority of the state bringing unseasonably cold temperatures and gusty northerly winds to most areas. Fine urban particulate background levels, light residual smoke from a combination of scattered agricultural burning activities across parts of the state in addition to the southern Mississippi River Valley and scattered agricultural burnings, volcanic emissions, and industrial sources across portions of southern Mexico, along with slightly elevated relative humidity levels ahead of the advancing front could at least briefly raise PM2.5 levels across portions of the state. The overall daily PM2.5 AQI may net out in the lower to middle of the "Moderate" in parts of the Brownsville-McAllen area; the lower end of the "Moderate" in parts of the Beaumont-Port Arthur, Corpus Christi, and Victoria areas; and stay in the "Good" range for the majority of the Austin, Bryan-College Station, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Laredo, San Antonio, Tyler-Longview, and Waco-Killeen areas.

Light daytime winds and lower morning vertical mixing heights, limiting pollutant dispersion, along with some urban pollutant carryover from the previous days may keep the daily PM2.5/PM10 AQIs at the middle of the "Moderate" range in parts of the El Paso area.