Why is the air quality so poor in Arizona?
Air Quality By Pollutant:
12/29/2022
12/30/2022
12/31/2022
1/1/2023
1/2/2023
Forecast Discussion:
Phoenix received a total of around half an inch of rain yesterday,
clearing out most of the airborne particulate matter than was leftover
from the Christmas weekend. All parameters came in the Good AQI category
yesterday.
Chances for scattered showers today remain, with most
of the precipitation expected to fall along I-17 from Phoenix to
Flagstaff. After this, we will be a short break in the rainfall for
tomorrow and Saturday. Our next chance for rain, potentially even
thunderstorms, will be on New Year's Day. For the past couple of days,
we've been following the models and finding disparities between them to
predict the best timing of rainfall arriving into the valley. Accounting
for typical biases certain models carry, as of right now the timing of
this system will be around mid-morning on Sunday (around 8:00am).
✓✓ The
timing for this system is crucial because it falls on the day where
Phoenix has a 50/50 shot of exceeding the federal health standard for PM2.5 (smoke). Within about a 5-hour window, from 10:00pm New Year's Eve to 3:00am New Year's Day, PM2.5
is expected to increase rapidly due to mainly firework usage for the
holiday celebrations. If this system were to move in within that 5-hour
window, it could be a difference between a Good AQI day or an Unhealthy
AQI day. We will have one more day to evaluate the models, but for now
it looks like the rain and strong surface level winds are coming in just
a bit to late.
A High Pollution Watch for PM2.5 is in effect for the Phoenix metro area for Saturday and Sunday.
Stay up to date for this high pollution potential this weekend!
- B. Droppleman
ADEQ Meteorologist
Arizona Air Quality
Current Concentrations Updated: 12/29/2022 - 4:30 PM
Click a value on the map to view more details for that monitor. To change pollutants use the menu within the map (available pollutants: Ozone, PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and CO).
"In the Valley where we have lots of vehicles on our roadways, and so the transportation sector is one of the leading contributors to air pollution," said Strother. And as our world continues to warm, days with high levels of ozone are likely to increase.
This proactive, air quality forecast is part of a statewide effort to engage communities in areas not meeting health-based standards, so they can make informed decisions and take precautionary steps to protect themselves and their families. ADEQ produces this forecast, valid for areas within and bordering Hayden, Monday through Friday. For details about this forecast and to learn more about ADEQ statewide forecasting, visit: azdeq.gov/forecasting. View the Maricopa County Dust Control Forecast > |
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