Gaia GPS
  • 7-Day Free Trial Gaia GPS Premium
  • Out and Back Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Everything You Need to Know About Satellite Communicators

      December 1, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Avoid Another Deadly Avalanche Season

      January 21, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Avalanche Safety with Snow Science Expert Bruce Tremper

      November 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Planning a Thru-Hike Next Year? Here’s What You…

      October 21, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      A Definitive Guide to the Best Camp Coffee

      September 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Owls and UFOs with Ultralight Expert Mike Clelland

      September 9, 2021

  • Offroad Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Cook Marco Hernandez’s Mouthwatering Camp Meals

      January 25, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Monique Song: How a City Girl Became the…

      April 7, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      TrailRecon Explains How to Become an Overlander Overnight

      March 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Stay Married on a Long-Distance Adventure

      February 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Go From ‘Desk to Glory’ in…

      January 12, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia GPS’s Best New Overlanding Maps and Features…

      December 23, 2021

  • Adventures
    • User Stories
  • Activities
    • Backcountry Skiing
    • Boating
    • Emergency Response
    • Fishing
    • Offroading
  • New Features
    • Gaia GPS

      Our Favorite New Maps and Features

      December 23, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      OpenSnow Weather Now Available at-a-Tap on the Map

      November 9, 2022

      Backcountry Skiing

      Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow…

      November 8, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      New Edit Tools: Creating Your Own Routes Just…

      September 1, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Top 10 Ways to Use Waypoints

      August 30, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Meet Map Packs: A Totally New Way to…

      May 9, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Discover & Reserve Campsites Right From Gaia GPS

      February 22, 2022

  • New Maps
    • Backcountry Skiing

      New! Find Backcountry Skiing in Gaia Winter Map

      January 11, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Our Favorite New Maps and Features

      December 23, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Spy Avalanche Terrain with Higher Res Slope Angle…

      December 14, 2022

      Backcountry Skiing

      Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow…

      November 8, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Activate Snow Mode with Gaia Winter

      October 26, 2022

      Adventures

      Take a Trip to Baja California with Nat…

      September 13, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia Overland: One Map to Rule Them All

      May 24, 2022

  • Home
Gaia GPS
  • 7-Day Free Trial Gaia GPS Premium
  • Out and Back Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Everything You Need to Know About Satellite Communicators

      December 1, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Avoid Another Deadly Avalanche Season

      January 21, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Avalanche Safety with Snow Science Expert Bruce Tremper

      November 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Planning a Thru-Hike Next Year? Here’s What You…

      October 21, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      A Definitive Guide to the Best Camp Coffee

      September 30, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Owls and UFOs with Ultralight Expert Mike Clelland

      September 9, 2021

  • Offroad Podcast
    • Gaia GPS

      Cook Marco Hernandez’s Mouthwatering Camp Meals

      January 25, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Monique Song: How a City Girl Became the…

      April 7, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      TrailRecon Explains How to Become an Overlander Overnight

      March 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Stay Married on a Long-Distance Adventure

      February 9, 2022

      Adventures

      How to Go From ‘Desk to Glory’ in…

      January 12, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      The Best Advice We Received in 2021

      December 26, 2021

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia GPS’s Best New Overlanding Maps and Features…

      December 23, 2021

  • Adventures
    • User Stories
  • Activities
    • Backcountry Skiing
    • Boating
    • Emergency Response
    • Fishing
    • Offroading
  • New Features
    • Gaia GPS

      Our Favorite New Maps and Features

      December 23, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      OpenSnow Weather Now Available at-a-Tap on the Map

      November 9, 2022

      Backcountry Skiing

      Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow…

      November 8, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      New Edit Tools: Creating Your Own Routes Just…

      September 1, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Top 10 Ways to Use Waypoints

      August 30, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Meet Map Packs: A Totally New Way to…

      May 9, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Discover & Reserve Campsites Right From Gaia GPS

      February 22, 2022

  • New Maps
    • Backcountry Skiing

      New! Find Backcountry Skiing in Gaia Winter Map

      January 11, 2023

      Gaia GPS

      Our Favorite New Maps and Features

      December 23, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Spy Avalanche Terrain with Higher Res Slope Angle…

      December 14, 2022

      Backcountry Skiing

      Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow…

      November 8, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Activate Snow Mode with Gaia Winter

      October 26, 2022

      Adventures

      Take a Trip to Baja California with Nat…

      September 13, 2022

      Gaia GPS

      Gaia Overland: One Map to Rule Them All

      May 24, 2022

  • Home

Avoid Wildfire Smoke with Three New Smoke Forecast Maps

by Abby Levene July 22, 2021
by Abby Levene July 22, 2021

Burning eyes, runny nose, and hazy skies indicate that wildfire season has engulfed the U.S. Steer clear of smokey, polluted air on your next adventure with three brand new Smoke Forecast maps. Smoke Forecast (today), Smoke Forecast (24h), and Smoke Forecast (48h) give you a sense of smoke levels all over the continental US for today, tomorrow, and an entire weekend.

Whether you’re backpacking near a wildfire-ravaged area or overlanding thousands of miles away, get a quick and accurate sense of how much smoke blows over so you can circumvent the bad air and enjoy clear views.

Smoke Forecast Today, 24h, and 48h

The new Smoke Forecast layers show an estimate of the concentration of wildfire smoke present near the ground. These predictions take into account smoke billowing from nearby wildfires, as well as smoke blown across the atmosphere from fires burning far away. The Smoke Forecast data comes from a NOAA weather model called High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR). HRRR measures particulates on a 3km grid spanning the continental US.

Color-coded shading on the map gives you a quick sense of wildfire smoke in or coming to your area. Like a tape measure, the higher the number the denser (and more harmful) the particulate concentration. Lower smoke concentrations appear gray on the map, progressing to yellow, orange, and finally red for the highest concentrations.

The color-coded scale in the map roughly translates to the Air Quality Index, the EPA’s index for reporting air quality. Note that gray on the Smoke Forecast scale equates to green on AQI. You can use this color-coded system as a loose guide for when it’s safe to recreate outside, or when you should modify your plans.

source: Smart Air.

To see the exact estimated particulate amount, simply tap that location on the map. The sidebar on the web and the tap drawer on your phone will give you the smoke concentration (in μg/m³) and time that forecast was recorded (in UTC). Smoke Forecast (today) is updated hourly. Smoke Forecast (24h) and (48h) are updated every six hours.

This is a model-derived forecast layer, not an exact reading. These layers carry the same level of forecast uncertainty as other weather predictions, such as our Precipitation and Snow Forecast maps. In addition, very recent or small wildfires may not be included in the smoke prediction. This means that these maps may underestimate the amount of surface smoke present.

Get a discount on
Gaia GPS

How to Use Smoke Forecast Maps

  1. Pull up the relevant Smoke Forecast map for your trip. If you’re heading out today, look at the Smoke Forecast (Current) map. If your trip will extend into tomorrow or span an entire weekend, pull up the Smoke Forecast (24h) or (48h), respectively.
  2. Pair the Smoke Forecast layer on top of your favorite base map, such as Gaia Topo or Satellite Imagery with Labels to see exactly how the air quality looks along each part of your route.
  3. Look at the color-coded shading over your route.
    • Clear or light gray — good to go
    • Yellow — moderate. Proceed with caution.
    • Orange — Unhealthy for sensitive individuals.
    • Red — Unhealthy to hazardous. Modify your plans or stay home.
  4. Next, use the Smoke Forecast layers in conjunction with our Wildfire (Satellite) and Wildfire (Current) maps to get a comprehensive understanding of how where fires are burning and how to bypass them.
  5. Finally, add the Air Quality (Current) and Air Quality (Tomorrow) maps to get an even richer sense of how wildfire smoke compounds with ozone and other air pollutants to influence the overall air quality in your area. Learn more about the wildfire and air quality maps here.

Why Checking for Wildfire Smoke Matters

Wildfire risk extends beyond simply encountering the fire itself. Smoke can travel thousands of miles away, exposing you to major toxins including:

  • ground-level ozone
  • particle pollution (also known as particulate matter, including PM 2.5 and PM 10)
  • carbon monoxide
  • sulfur dioxide
  • nitrogen dioxide

The Smoke Forecast layers measure PM 2.5 particulates. PM 2.5 refers to particulate matter with a size of two and a half microns or less. The width of the largest of these particles comes in at less than 30 times smaller than a human hair. The smallest particles are so microscopic that several thousand could sit together into the period at the end of this sentence.

These super fine particles can penetrate deep into your lungs, making your eyes burn and your nose run. Potent wildfire smoke aggravates chronic heart and lung diseases, and exposure to this particular pollution is even linked to premature death, the EPA reports.

If you’re heading on a hike, bikepacking trip, overlanding adventure (you name it) from June to December, check these map layers to help inform your route choice so you can keep your lungs happy and healthy. Even east coasters may be surprised by how much wildfire smoke blows in from the west and settles overhead.

How to Access Smoke Forecast Maps

All three Smoke Forecast Maps are available for free on gaiagps.com and in the app. To add the Smoke Forecast layers to your active maps in the iOS or Android app or on the web, simply select the map layers button, tap “Add map layers” and select “Feature/Weather Overlays.” Choose from Smoke Forecast (Today), Smoke Forecast (24h), and Smoke Forecast (48h).

Since refreshing for updated smoke data requires a wifi connection, these maps are not available for offline downloads. However, you can keep a recent visual on your phone: viewing the forecast over an area in a map will cache that data, leaving it available to view in the app for 24 hours.

Use of this map layer for any purpose is at your own risk. Trailbehind Inc (maker of Gaia GPS) is not responsible for any actions you take based on the information contained in any map.

While the Smoke Forecast maps are available for free, get a premium membership to download your favorite maps and take them offline with you in areas without cell service. A Premium Membership also gives you access to Gaia GPS’s entire map catalog. Download hundreds of maps, including National Geographic Trails Illustrated, high-resolution satellite maps, weather overlays, and government-issued topo maps like USFS topo, all the USGS quad maps, and MVUMs.

air qualitysmoke forecast mapswildfires
1
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Abby Levene

Abby Levene is a writer, editor, and podcast producer for Gaia GPS. She's also a professional endurance athlete based in Boulder, Colorado. In her free time you can find her sweating in the mountains by foot, bike, and skis, or at home painting or curled up with a book.

previous post
Gaia GPS Launches New Offroad Podcast with Tale of a Burning Jeep
next post
Gaia GPS on Android Auto: Put the Best Backcountry Maps on Your Dashboard

You may also like

How to Plan a Backcountry Ski Tour with...

January 26, 2023

Cook Marco Hernandez’s Mouthwatering Camp Meals

January 25, 2023

New! Find Backcountry Skiing in Gaia Winter Map

January 11, 2023

How to Get Started Overlanding

January 9, 2023

Our Favorite New Maps and Features

December 23, 2022

2022 Mapped: Gaia GPS Year in Review

December 22, 2022

Spy Avalanche Terrain with Higher Res Slope Angle...

December 14, 2022

How to Use Maps to Help Avoid Avalanches

December 14, 2022

How to Find a Christmas Tree Using Gaia...

December 1, 2022

Everything You Need to Know About Satellite Communicators

December 1, 2022

Keep in touch

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

Popular Posts

  • 1

    How to Read Topographic Maps

    July 1, 2021
  • 2

    How to Download an Entire State Map with Gaia Topo

    August 19, 2021
  • 3

    How to Save Phone Battery Life in the Backcountry

    March 25, 2021
  • 4

    Using Gaia GPS to Find Free Camping in National Forests

    March 9, 2022
  • 5

    Unlock Adventure with Gaia GPS on Outside+

    September 30, 2021

Categories

  • Adventures
  • Android
  • App Comparisons
  • App Updates
  • Backcountry Skiing
  • Boating
  • Company News
  • Emergency Response
  • Featured
  • Fishing
  • Gaia GPS
  • Gaia GPS Offroad Podcast
  • GaiaCloud
  • Hikes
  • How-To
  • Hunting
  • iOS
  • New Features
  • New Maps
  • Newsletter
  • Offroading
  • Out and Back Podcast
  • User Profiles
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • RSS

@2022 - All Right Reserved. Gaia GPS


Back To Top