Wildfire Smoke and Air Quality

Having accurate data to prepare for and respond to wildfires is essential to forecasters and communities, especially when smoke can impact air quality and visibility hundreds of miles from the fire source. 

NOAA satellites provide valuable information about where fires are, their intensity and smoke emissions. This data then feeds into the operational air quality forecast models developed by the National Weather Service (NWS) and United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA). Forecasters then combine this guidance with near real-time satellite aerosol imagery from the AerosolWatch website, a data distribution system maintained by NOAA’s Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) as well as the EPA’s ground-based observations. 

Together, these tools help forecasters provide more accurate advisories, warnings and alerts for hazardous air quality across the U.S., helping the public take steps to reduce exposure.  

Case Study: Canadian Wildfires and Smoke Impact on United States 

The 2025 fire season in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada, is well above average to date in terms of number of fires and acres burned, driven by abnormally dry conditions. In May, heat signatures and thick, grayish-brown smoke have been monitored from the wildfires in the region. This smoke degraded air quality and reduced visibility in the vicinity of fires in Manitoba that led to widespread emergency evacuations. Later in the month, northerly winds carried smoke south into the continental U.S., where alerts are issued by state and local agencies using the guidance put out by the NWS models and satellite imagery

Monitoring Air Quality from Orbit

On May 31, 2025, smoke from the Manitoba wildfires significantly reduced surface air quality in parts of the Upper Midwest of the U.S. Visible imagery from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory-NASA TEMPO instrument on commercial satellite Intelsat-40e showed thick smoke moving into North and South Dakota. That same day, the data indicated very poor air quality (indicated by maroon, purple and red shading) caused by the smoke. These satellite observations help fill the gaps in the EPA’s ground-based sensor network (colored dots), especially in rural and suburban regions where surface observations are sparse.

Aerosol Layer Height (ALH)

For large-scale events such as the Canadian wildfires, TEMPO also observes how high the smoke is in the atmosphere. Known as aerosol layer height (ALH), forecasters depend on this data to determine whether or not smoke is near the ground, where it poses greater health risks and may require alerts. 

“A satellite product that accurately estimates the height of aerosol layers eliminates one of the largest uncertainties encountered while developing an air quality forecast," said Joel Dreessen, Deputy Air Program Manager at Maryland’s Department of the Environment. 

TEMPO and GOES Collaboration 

Detecting aerosol indicates the presence of smoke and dust particles in the atmosphere. It also benefits from the synergy between TEMPO’s ultraviolet measurements and the shortwave infrared capabilities of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) onboard the GOES East and GOES West satellites. While TEMPO excels at detecting smoke aerosols, ABI’s sensors help differentiate between smoke and dust, improving overall detection. An example of this teamwork took place on June 2, 2025,when satellite data showed widespread thick smoke plumes swirling over the eastern U.S on June 2, 2025, indicated by the purple shading.

Together, TEMPO and ABI are providing state-of-the-art tools for air quality forecasters to aid them in their mission to protect public health.