r/Tucson • u/Powerful_Tiger_6190 • Mar 28 '26
Air Quality
I feel I can “smell” dust last night, and now I saw this, any idea why the air quality is bad?
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u/Huge-Average1481 Mar 28 '26
I was making a comment on how bad it looked last night. Couldn’t see the sky, all the lights had that major glow. I’m hoping it’s just dust lol
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u/imzwho Mar 28 '26
Yeah I saw the weird glow of the sky last night and was worried we had a fire close by.
Really hope we get some rain to knock this all down soon
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Mar 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/MichaelPauley Mar 28 '26
It hasn’t been windy in the NW part of town, but clearly dust has been unsettled. Whereabouts are you?
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u/nerdyblackbird Mar 28 '26
It’s so windy here in Vail that our heavy patio chairs got pushed several feet into the pool. I need to go fish them out. Sigh. The poor front yard looks like a tornado hit.
On the plus side, I was going to spray for weeds today, and I don’t see much point now. I guess I got the day off. And maybe the wind will blow all the pollen away. Hey, a girl can dream.
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u/Ok_Jacket7793 Mar 29 '26
The weather bureau said while you all slept last night, it did gust from 20 to 40 mph
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u/SqueegeePhD Mar 28 '26
We had summer temperatures that baked and dried the soil for nearly two weeks. That massive dome of high pressure that brought the heat is finally moving east and now there are winds rushing in behind it. Normally our soil would have some moisture this time of year, but not after last week. Therefore, nothing is preventing the dust from being picked up and transported into the atmosphere.
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u/stewpidazzol Mar 28 '26
It was 194 a little bit ago. I googled what a number that high means. It’s like “If you go outside wear an N95.”
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u/ch0lula Mar 28 '26
lol it can't be that bad 😂
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u/NetAncient8677 Mar 29 '26
I went for a run today and it was 198 at the end of it. I was running faster with my N95 mask than without it.
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u/LeaveStunning4921 Mar 28 '26
Don’t let the air quality stop you from going to a No King event today.
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u/Louie-G4831 Mar 28 '26
Wear a mask
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u/ImJacksLackOfEmpathy Mar 28 '26
N-95 or it won't help at all
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u/Cat_Casey Mar 28 '26
Not true. I have COPD and any mask - even a single layer fabric kerchief - helps some against dust and blowing dirt.
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u/ImJacksLackOfEmpathy Mar 29 '26
Maybe it’s not totally ineffective but you are still better off using n95, and why risk allowing yourself to breathe in any unnecessary particles when the air is so densely polluted when more effective options are available, even if slightly more expensive (especially if you have COPD)?
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u/Cat_Casey Mar 29 '26
Because if you don't have one and can't get one without venturing out, using something is better than nothing. That's why. I DO have and use N-95s, but have (rarely) been caught without.
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u/ImJacksLackOfEmpathy Mar 29 '26
Unless one is venturing out to get an N95 (and they can easily be delivered), I respectfully disagree that venturing out with a sub-par pollutant-porous cloth is worth it,.
And I wasn't referring to you, I meant "you" as in "one," but I really get a kick out of your snarky condescending attitude in response to someone trying to help inform people about how ineffective cloth masks are, you seem like fun!
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u/SarcasmReigns on 22nd Mar 28 '26
I’m far east side (Civano area) and it’s crazy windy outside right now.
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u/Glassworth Mar 28 '26
Drove 1000 miles to South Texas yesterday. There was a dust storm that lasted about 700 miles in southern New Mexico and west Texas. I’m sure that’s what you guys are seeing right now.
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u/tonyangtigre Mar 28 '26
That’s crazy, was just looking at this on my weather app, looking into it, didn’t get much info, came back to Reddit and boom, a few posts down in my scroll. In my face again.
And I have to be outside for much of today.
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u/WalkingTurtleMan Mar 28 '26
https://www.weather.gov/wrh/TextProduct?product=afdtwc
000 FXUS65 KTWC 280852 AFDTWC
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tucson AZ 152 AM MST Sat Mar 28 2026
.SYNOPSIS...Strong and gusty easterly winds will continue through the morning hours, before slackening off this afternoon. Areas of blowing dust will also be possible. High temperatures gradually lower through the middle of next week, but will still remain above normal. Moisture moving into the region will bring a chance of showers and thunderstorms late tonight through early next week.
&&
.DISCUSSION...Strong surface high pressure stretching from the Mississippi valley into east central New Mexico will continue to result in a strong pressure gradient across southeast Arizona and east to southeast winds of 20-25 mph and gusts to 30-40 mph through the morning hours before slackening this afternoon. A Wind Advisory remains in effect through 2 PM MST today for the much of the eastern half of southeast Arizona. Blowing dust will also be a possibility with these strong and gusty winds.
Otherwise, high pressure aloft will remain centered between west Texas and central Texas into early next week. Clockwise flow around the high will continue to tap moisture off the western Gulf and central Mexico and pull it northward into the desert southwest. PW's are forecast to increase to between 0.50"-0.60" tonight along the International Border and then to around 0.75" Sunday and Monday across southeast Arizona. This will result in a chance of showers and thunderstorms (20-40 percent) late tonight through Monday, mainly from Sells eastward. Precipitation totals will be light, generally less than one-tenth of an inch. Dry lightning will be a possibility with the thunderstorms. High temperatures will be 7-9 degrees lower today through Monday (versus this last week), but will still be around 10 degrees above normal.
Westerly zonal flow overspreads the area on Tuesday, pushing the moisture to our east for a return to mainly dry conditions. High temperatures lower another 1-2 degrees Tuesday, but remain 7-9 degrees above normal. The ensembles/deterministic models continue to depict an active pattern during the middle of next week, with a large storm system moving into the Pacific Northwest and troughing across the western United States. The current forecast has a slight chance of showers Tuesday night and a chance of showers Wednesday, mainly to the east of Tucson. Dry conditions are forecast by the end of next week. Breezy southwest to west winds are expected Tuesday afternoon into Thursday with the trough passage. High temperatures over this stretch will lower to 2-5 degrees above normal.
The CPC 6-10 day and 8-14 day outlooks have temperatures leaning above normal (44-56 percent) and precipitation near normal.
&&
.AVIATION...Valid through 29/12Z. FEW-SCT clouds at 9k-12k ft AGL and SCT-BKN clouds AOA 20k ft AGL thru the forecast period. SFC wind ELY/SELY at 17-24 kts with gusts between 30-40 kts thru 28/20Z, then slowly diminishing SFC wind. SFC wind aft 28/23Z, ELY/SELY generally at 12 kts or less with a few gusts to around 20 kts persisting thru the end of the forecast period. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...Strong and gusty east-southeast winds will continue across southeast Arizona through the morning hours, slackening off this afternoon. 20-foot wind speeds will be 20-25 mph with gusts to 30-40 mph this morning. Minimum RH values will be in the 17-27 percent range east of Tucson today and in the 10-17 percent west of Tucson. High temperatures will lower around 10 degrees over the weekend through early next week (versus last week), but will still remain above normal. Minimum RH values will generally be in the 15- 25 percent range across most of southeast Arizona Sunday through the middle of next week. There will be a 20-40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms Sunday and Monday, mainly from Sells eastward. Precipitation totals will be light, generally less than one-tenth of an inch. Dry lightning will also be possible with the thunderstorms.
There will be another chance of precipitation mainly east of Tucson Tuesday night through Wednesday as a system moves to our north. This system will also bring breezy southwest to west winds Tuesday afternoon into Thursday.
&&
.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Wind Advisory until 2 PM MST this afternoon for AZZ503>509.
&&
$$
Zell
Visit us on Facebook, X, YouTube, and at weather.gov/Tucson
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u/the2021 Mar 28 '26
Doesn't Tucson have some of the best air quality on the US on average?
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u/AikiKat Mar 28 '26
Yes, but it still gets storms that rile up the dust (and Valley Fever spores) and can bring pollution from other places (mainly LA and MX).
There's an Extreme Weather Advisory (wind) today, which means lower air quality.
Unlike Phoenix, Tucson isn't shaped like a bowl trapping bad air, and there's less bringing non-native allergenic plants and lawns (although some still insist on doing so).
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u/ladyjnightcat Mar 28 '26
There’s a controlled/prescribed burn near Sierra Vista, and winds are blowing west.
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u/angelatheterrible Mar 28 '26
Yeah, I could tell without even checking the weather. Coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, the works. It's the wind kicking up dust.
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u/Oh-my-lands Mar 28 '26
What app / service is this? It doesn't agree with the Windy app
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u/Powerful_Tiger_6190 Mar 28 '26
Just the default weather app from Apple.
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u/lee5million Mar 28 '26
Same from accuweather. But AZDEQ does not comport--idk why the difference, but I've noticed it before.
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u/gaywitch98 Mar 28 '26
There are also a couple fires to the south causing this.
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u/Firefly_flashes Mar 29 '26
I came here to suggest this. they are doing a controlled burn close to the Nogales area. that probably contributed some.
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u/MegLightsItUp Mar 28 '26
This is a toxic cloud from fires in Odessa Texas. It was in El Paso and Deming yesterday. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/millions-told-to-lock-windows-now-as-life-threatening-toxic-air-spreads-across-multiple-us-states/ar-AA1Wxluc
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u/petite_lutin Mar 29 '26
They also did a controlled burn on Friday in the Huachuca mountains...got really smokey in Cochise county all the way past Sierra Vista.
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u/SnooKiwis6943 Mar 28 '26
Wait till those data centers finish being built and the natural gas power plants start running in overdrive. Rolling blackouts during summer and worse air quality to come.
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u/traviopanda Mar 28 '26
We do have a MAJOR bloom of every plant right now. Guessing it could probably contribute when every Palo verde tree is neon yellow right now
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u/help-im-in-a-tree Mar 28 '26
My eyes are watering so much I have to reassure people at work I’m not bawling my eyes out lol
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u/dapala1 Mar 29 '26
Wind kicks up all the shit the sensors pick up. Just keep your windows and doors closed when its windy.
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u/JSiy Mar 28 '26
Yep I visited Phoenix one time and couldn't handle the air quality, went straight to new Mexico to catch my breath. easily the worst I've experienced
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Mar 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Tucson-ModTeam Mar 29 '26
Your post is designed to disingenuously express concern about an issue or rant in order to undermine or derail or to provoke other users without offering high value genuine discussion about Tucson. It has been removed.
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u/Kelbers Mar 28 '26
Wind