With the Caldor Fire that prompted the evacuation of South Lake Tahoe, the 2021 fire season is indeed extreme. Here are various trackers, apps, and websites to monitor air quality due to fire according to your location or at your destination before heading out.
With these active fires in California you might be affected by poor air quality, preventing outdoor activities.
For air quality, websites are connected to sensors spread out throughout the Bay Area and give you a rating for particle matter pollution in almost real-time. Some apps or websites also provide a forecast which is not to be taken for granted since conditions can shift rapidly.
- Air Now
- Purple Air: Untick the “Inside Sensors” box and select LRAPA or AQ&U, bottom left
- IQ AIR website
- Air Visual App
- SF Chronicle “Air Quality & Fire tracker“
To track the fires in real-time:
and lastly the PG&E map for power outages
Good luck to all with special thoughts to those who had to evacuate. We identified two non-profits for donation to support the fire victims: