The AirNow Fire and Smoke Map puts measurements, sensors, fires, smoke information, and health guidance on one screen. That makes it useful during wildfire smoke—but only if you know which layer answers which question.
A colored air-quality circle is a measurement at a location. A flame is fire information. A smoke plume is not a ground-level PM2.5 reading. A Smoke Outlook is a forecast product available for some incidents. None of these replaces an evacuation order.
Open the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map and use the workflow below.
What the map is designed to show
According to AirNow's official map guide, the map can show:
- current particle-pollution information;
- permanent and temporary monitoring locations;
- air-sensor data;
- reported fire incidents and satellite-detected fires;
- NOAA smoke plumes when the layer is enabled;
- Smoke Forecast Outlooks where available; and
- EPA health recommendations for the displayed AQI category.
The map focuses on fine particle pollution because PM2.5 is a major component of wildfire smoke. It can alert you when ozone or PM10 is in a higher AQI category, but its smoke-oriented circles should not be treated as a complete measurement of every pollutant.
Step 1: select the location that matters
Search for an address, city, town, or ZIP code, allow geolocation, or pan and zoom to the area. On a phone, selecting a location also makes nearby monitor and sensor information easier to access.
Do not rely on the first city label alone. Smoke can vary across a metro area because of wind, terrain, elevation, and local sources. Zoom far enough to see several nearby observations, then compare their timestamps and trends.
Step 2: identify the type of air-quality circle
AirNow uses circle size and labels to distinguish devices:
- Large circles with a number: permanent monitors operated by air-quality agencies.
- Medium circles with “T”: temporary monitors deployed for additional coverage.
- Small circles without a letter or number: air sensors, most of which are publicly owned and operated.
All use AQI category colors, but they are not identical instruments.
Permanent and temporary monitors are operated by air-quality professionals. Low-cost sensors add density and can reveal local smoke variation, but siting, maintenance, humidity, and aerosol properties can influence them.
AirNow does not simply copy raw PurpleAir values. Its Fire and Smoke Map questions and answers explains that sensor data go through screening and a U.S.-wide correction before display. This is one reason a sensor on the Fire and Smoke Map may not match the same device under different settings on the PurpleAir Map.
Step 3: open the observation, not just the dot
Click or tap a circle. The compact view shows current particle air quality, health recommendations, recent history, and a trend indicator for stable, improving, or worsening conditions.
Expand the panel for more context, including:
- device type and location;
- timestamp and recent data history;
- the applicable activity recommendations;
- a Smoke Outlook link if one has been issued;
- alerts when ozone or PM10 is in a higher category; and
- nearby fire information.
The trend often matters more than a small difference between two dots. If nearby observations are rising together, prepare for worsening smoke. If one sensor spikes while surrounding observations remain stable, inspect its location, quality information, and local sources before treating it as the regional condition.
Step 4: compare several nearby observations
Use a small group rather than selecting whichever number is highest or lowest.
Ask:
- Are the observations recent?
- Do permanent, temporary, and corrected sensor readings point to the same category?
- Is the pattern geographically coherent with wind or terrain?
- Is one sensor next to a hyperlocal source?
- Are trends moving in the same direction?
There is no fixed radius that always represents your location. A monitor farther away but upwind may be less relevant than several nearer corrected sensors; a single backyard sensor may be less representative than a consistent cluster. Use the evidence together.
Step 5: read fire icons correctly
The map uses two main fire symbols.
Reported fire incident
A flame icon indicates an incident reported to the National Interagency Fire Center. It may be a wildfire or a prescribed fire. Clicking it can show incident details and, where available, a link to the national incident-information site.
At closer zoom, a reported perimeter may appear. A perimeter is not a prediction of where the fire will move, and the map is not a navigation or evacuation tool.
Satellite-detected fire
A glowing-circle icon indicates a heat detection by satellite. It can help reveal possible fire activity, but a detection is not the same as a confirmed incident, exact fire boundary, smoke concentration, or threat to a specific home.
Follow local emergency-management and fire-agency information for evacuation status, road closures, and immediate danger.
Step 6: turn on NOAA smoke plumes when useful
Smoke plumes do not necessarily appear by default. AirNow instructs users to open settings and enable NOAA Smoke Plumes.
The plume layer is evidence that smoke has been identified in the atmosphere. It does not tell you the ground-level PM2.5 concentration under every part of the shape. Smoke may be above the surface, and conditions can change between plume analysis times.
Use plume information for regional context, then use nearby measurement circles to understand particle conditions near the ground.
Step 7: use Smoke Forecast Outlooks as forecasts
Smoke Forecast Outlooks are available for some large U.S. wildfires when Air Resource Advisors are assigned. They help explain expected smoke impacts over the next several days.
An Outlook is not issued for every fire, and it remains a forecast. Read its geographic area, valid period, expected transport, uncertainty, and any local recommendations. Then recheck current measurements because fire behavior and winds can change.
Step 8: translate the AQI category into action
The map links EPA recommendations for the current particle-pollution category. Follow those recommendations, with extra attention if you have heart or lung disease, are older, are a child, are pregnant, or have another factor that increases susceptibility.
Practical smoke preparation can include:
- reducing prolonged or heavy outdoor activity according to AQI guidance;
- running appropriately sized indoor particle filtration;
- avoiding smoking, candles, incense, frying, and other indoor particle sources;
- using a well-fitting NIOSH Approved N95 when outdoor particle protection is needed; and
- seeking a cleaner-air, air-conditioned space when smoke and extreme heat occur together.
EPA's 2026 wildfire smoke factsheets cover filtration, cleaner-air rooms, respirators, sensors, and smoke-plus-heat decisions. Our Wildfire Smoke Planner can help organize a household response after you have checked official conditions.
What the map cannot tell you
The Fire and Smoke Map cannot determine:
- whether your home is under an evacuation order;
- the PM2.5 concentration inside your room;
- your personal inhaled dose;
- whether a respirator fits you;
- where a fire will spread next; or
- the exact concentration at every point between devices.
AirNow also describes its public-reporting observations as preliminary. They receive initial quality checks but not the full validation used for regulatory data in EPA's Air Quality System. That makes them appropriate for timely public information, not a substitute for certified historical analysis.
Can you enter a map value in the cigarette calculator?
The map's air-quality circles are smoke-focused particle readings on the U.S. AQI scale, but verify the detail panel and any higher-pollutant alert first. Do not convert a flame, plume, forecast narrative, or unknown overall AQI.
If the panel provides direct PM2.5 concentration in µg/m³, prefer the PM2.5 Cigarette Calculator. If it clearly provides a U.S. PM2.5 AQI, the AQI calculator can produce a rough cigarette-equivalent communication estimate. Read the input eligibility checklist before converting.
A five-minute smoke check
- Search your exact area and refresh the map.
- Open the nearest permanent monitor, temporary monitor, and several corrected sensors.
- Check timestamps, categories, and recent trends.
- Enable the NOAA plume layer for regional context.
- Open any available Smoke Outlook.
- Follow the EPA health recommendation for the observed particle category.
- Check local emergency alerts separately.
- Recheck when wind, activity, or the trend changes.
Bottom line
Read the Fire and Smoke Map as a collection of evidence, not one magic dot. Measurements describe particle conditions at device locations; fire icons describe reported or detected fire activity; plume layers add atmospheric context; and Smoke Outlooks describe possible future impacts.
Combine nearby observations, trends, forecasts, and official health advice—then keep evacuation and emergency information in its proper, separate channel.