Grand Junction, Colorado — Wildfire Smoke Forecast

Current air quality

No recent measurement is available from the nearest station.

Models forecast PM2.5 peaking near 24 µg/m³ within the next 48 hours.

No significant smoke is expected in the next 48 hours.

Last 24 hours observed & next 48 hours forecast

● FireSmoke · ● FireWork · ● HRRR

Background bands (US EPA AQI, 24-h basis): ■ Good · ■ Moderate

Next 24 hours — model comparison

Model values are for the ~10 km grid cell nearest Grand Junction; the two models are independent and often disagree — treat the higher value as the cautious planning number.

Observations and NowCast are total PM_2.5 — wildfire smoke plus every other source — as regulatory monitors measure it, and FireWork models that same total. FireSmoke is a smoke-dispersion model: it estimates the wildfire contribution only, so it reads lower than the monitors whenever other sources matter. The map's optional plume layer is likewise fires-only.

Sky vs. ground

Smoke is overhead, not in the air you breathe.

● At the ground · ● Overhead (if mixed down)

Overhead smoke dims the sun but is not what you breathe. The dashed line shows the surface level if the whole column mixed through the boundary layer — a worst case, not a forecast · Data: NOAA HRRR-Smoke

Nearest monitoring stations

• Grand Junction - Powell Building — 1 km
• Delta — 55 km
• Rifle Particulate — 84 km

Open the live chart for Grand Junction - Powell Building — hourly observations, NowCast and both model forecasts.