Is SmokeWx 100% accurate?

No. Weather forecasting is based on a model of our atmosphere and is never 100% accurate. Additionally, wildfire conditions can change rapidly! SmokeWx updates it's forecast multiple times a day to keep up with changing condition.

As the statistician George Box once said, "All models are wrong, but some are useful!"

Given the dangers involved with poor air quality and wildfires, always consult local authorities for more information or actions required to stay safe.

Is the Smoke Score the same as an air quality index? (AQI)

No, a Smoke Score encodes an entire forecasts worth of data for a location into one number. However, the smoke score can be mapped to an f-AQI score. f-AQI is the air quality index specifically looking at wildfire smoke. A smoke score will also indicate upper atmosphere smoke concentrations, which can impact the appearance of the sky.

Can I get a notification for more than one location?

At this time we allow for one location per device running the app. We're working to allow multiple locations in the future.

How many cities or towns have forecasts, can I request a new one be added?

SmokeWx processes over 20,000 forecasts for cities and towns across the US and Canada. The locations in our database should cover nearly everyone, but it's possible your town isn't specifically in our database. In this case SmokeWx will chose the closest town or city.

Use the contact form at the bottom of this page to let us know if we're missing an obvious location. We are constantly adding new forecast locations and we prioritize based on population and distance to another forecast location.

Can I call the APIs that SmokeWx hosts or use the data SmokeWx produces?

Not without prior consent. Please use the feedback form below to get in touch. Note that unauthorized use of SmokeWx's data may incur automatic IP blocks, legal action, and bills for usage. Please understand the terms of use you agreed to by using any SmokeWx resource. It's important that SmokeWx protects its resources so everyone using it can have a great experience!

Can I share forecasts and graphics from SmokeWx?

If you're not representing a commercial interest or media company, feel free! If you are representing a commercial interest or media company, please get in touch using the form below to request permission and because we have better tools available to get content from SmokeWx. terms of use

Where does SmokeWx get its data from, and how often is it updated?

The data in SmokeWx comes from a few sources. The actual smoke data is derived from NOAA's Rapid Refresh weather model (RAP), which includes multi layered prediction of wildfire smoke. Specifically, the mass of PM2.5 particulate generated by wildfires. SmokeWx processes this data 4 times a day into forecasts and graphics for the map. We chose this model over the HRRR due to domain coverage and accuracy, however we're already prepping for new models coming out soon. The raw data can be found here: nomads.ncep.noaa.gov

GOES satellite imagery is processed by SmokeWx every 30 minutes and the source data comes from NOAA. The raw data can be found here (replace GOES18 with GOES16 to change folders): cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov

Fire data is updated several times a day and originates from National Interagency Fire Center. More information can be found on their website here: data-nifc.opendata.arcgis.com/