California air quality

Portola, California Air Quality

Plumas County39.811, -120.469

The nearest monitor to Portola, at Portola, under a mile away, measured an index of 24 at Mon, 3:00 PM PDT, which is Good for fine particles (PM2.5). Northern Sierra AQMD forecasts Good for Portola today and Good tomorrow.

Measured now
24 · Good
Today
22 · Good
Tomorrow
33 · Good
Pollutant
PM2.5

Fine particles on the map

Forecast fine particulate matter from NOAA’s National Air Quality Forecast Capability over Portola, California. Open it for the live map, where it pans and zooms.

Forecast fine particulate matter from NOAA’s National Air Quality Forecast Capability over Portola, California Open the live map with the particulate forecast

Map layer from NOAA National Air Quality Forecast Capability. Boundaries from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.

Alerts in force

An Air Quality Alert is issued by the National Weather Service on behalf of a state or local agency when pollution is expected to reach a level that harms health. An Air Stagnation Advisory means the air will not move enough to clear what is already in it.

None are in force near Portola right now. All California warnings.

Now

Good

Nearest monitor
Portola, under a mile away (site 060631010)
Index measured
24 · Good
Measured at
Mon, 3:00 PM PDT
Fine particles
4.2 µg/m³
Reporting area
Portola, CA, under a mile away
Reported by
Northern Sierra AQMD
Area index
26 · Good

Measured, not modeled. AirNow observations are preliminary until the operating agency certifies them, which happens months later.

Today and tomorrow

Northern Sierra AQMD's own forecast for Portola, written by a forecaster rather than read off a model.

DayCategoryIndexPollutant
TodayGood22PM2.5
TomorrowGood33PM2.5
Wednesday, September 23Good33PM2.5
Thursday, September 24Good28PM2.5
Friday, September 25Good17PM2.5
Saturday, September 26Good28PM2.5

The forecaster’s discussion

Written by Northern Sierra AQMD for Portola and filed with AirNow.

Monday, September 21: Atmospheric mixing will improve as an upper-level low pressure system moves across central California. In addition, moderate westerly evening winds will aid dispersion, leading to Good AQI levels. Tuesday, September 22 and Wednesday, September 23: Light to moderate west-southwesterly winds will gradually disperse pollutants each afternoon, and high temperatures near 80F will be sufficient for atmospheric mixing. As a result, AQI levels will be Good on both days. Thursday and Friday, as an upper-level trough of low pressure passes to the north, gusty southwesterly winds will develop in Portola each afternoon, effectively dispersing pollutants and keeping AQI levels Good on both days. Saturday, light winds and a temperature inversion will allow pollutants to accumulate during the morning and evening hours. However, moderate southwesterly winds will aid dispersion during the day as the next trough of low pressure develops along the West Coast. Therefore, AQI levels will continue to be Good.

Hour by hour

NOAA’s National Air Quality Forecast Capability, bias-corrected against monitors, for this town’s own coordinate. The worst hour ahead is an index of 44, Good, around Wed, 8:00 PM PDT, from the run issued Mon, 5:00 AM PDT. This is a model, not a measurement.

HourIndexCategoryPM2.5Ozone
Mon, 7:00 AM PDT13Good1.8
Mon, 8:00 AM PDT22Good5.4
Mon, 9:00 AM PDT19Good2.9
Mon, 10:00 AM PDT16Good2.5
Mon, 11:00 AM PDT22Good4.9
Mon, 12:00 PM PDT24Good4.7
Mon, 1:00 PM PDT30Good232.7
Mon, 2:00 PM PDT31Good4.334.6
Mon, 3:00 PM PDT33Good2.836.8
Mon, 4:00 PM PDT35Good4.438.9
Mon, 5:00 PM PDT37Good3.140.7
Mon, 6:00 PM PDT38Good2.241.9
Mon, 7:00 PM PDT39Good3.542.6
Mon, 8:00 PM PDT39Good9.142.8
Mon, 9:00 PM PDT39Good7.242.9
Mon, 10:00 PM PDT39Good7.242.9
Mon, 11:00 PM PDT40Good7.442.8
Tue, 12:00 AM PDT39Good6.342.5
Tue, 1:00 AM PDT39Good5.742.1
Tue, 2:00 AM PDT38Good5.541.4
Tue, 3:00 AM PDT37Good5.340.5
Tue, 4:00 AM PDT36Good5.539.7
Tue, 5:00 AM PDT35Good3.938.6
Tue, 6:00 AM PDT35Good837.2
Tue, 7:00 AM PDT32Good4.535.9
Tue, 8:00 AM PDT40Good9.134.6
Tue, 9:00 AM PDT36Good5.933.7
Tue, 10:00 AM PDT39Good7.733.8
Tue, 11:00 AM PDT42Good7.934.5
Tue, 12:00 PM PDT37Good635.6
Tue, 1:00 PM PDT33Good5.436.8
Tue, 2:00 PM PDT35Good538.5
Tue, 3:00 PM PDT37Good4.540.4
Tue, 4:00 PM PDT39Good642.5
Tue, 5:00 PM PDT41Good5.444.2
Tue, 6:00 PM PDT42Good4.545.4
Tue, 7:00 PM PDT43Good3.546.1
Tue, 8:00 PM PDT43Good9.446.5
Tue, 9:00 PM PDT43Good746.6
Tue, 10:00 PM PDT43Good7.646.6
Tue, 11:00 PM PDT43Good7.646.4
Wed, 12:00 AM PDT42Good6.945.9
Wed, 1:00 AM PDT42Good545.2
Wed, 2:00 AM PDT41Good4.944.2
Wed, 3:00 AM PDT39Good4.243
Wed, 4:00 AM PDT38Good2.641.7
Wed, 5:00 AM PDT37Good3.440.3
Wed, 6:00 AM PDT35Good638.8
Wed, 7:00 AM PDT34Good2.637.3
Wed, 8:00 AM PDT32Good7.135.6
Wed, 9:00 AM PDT31Good3.734.4
Wed, 10:00 AM PDT31Good4.634
Wed, 11:00 AM PDT31Good5.334.4
Wed, 12:00 PM PDT32Good3.935.3
Wed, 1:00 PM PDT33Good4.936.6
Wed, 2:00 PM PDT35Good4.938.2
Wed, 3:00 PM PDT37Good3.640.1
Wed, 4:00 PM PDT39Good4.442.5
Wed, 5:00 PM PDT41Good3.744.6
Wed, 6:00 PM PDT43Good3.246.1
Wed, 7:00 PM PDT43Good1.847
Wed, 8:00 PM PDT44Good7.547.3
Wed, 9:00 PM PDT44Good6.947.3
Wed, 10:00 PM PDT44Good7.147
Wed, 11:00 PM PDT43Good6.546.6
Thu, 12:00 AM PDT43Good7.446
Thu, 1:00 AM PDT42Good6.445.2
Thu, 2:00 AM PDT40Good4.944
Thu, 3:00 AM PDT39Good3.942.7
Thu, 4:00 AM PDT38Good3.141.6
Thu, 5:00 AM PDT37Good2.340.3

Fine particles in micrograms per cubic meter, ozone in parts per billion as an 8-hour average. The index for each hour is EPA’s: the ozone figure is already the 8-hour average the ozone index is defined on, and the particle figure is run through EPA’s NowCast, which is how an hourly PM2.5 concentration becomes an index.

Smoke

NOAA’s analysts have not drawn smoke over Portola in satellite imagery today.

NOAA’s model forecasts near-surface smoke peaking at 3.1 µg/m³ around Tue, 2:00 AM PDT.

Smoke on the radar over Portola

What this means

Good

Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.

Who is affected
Nobody is expected to be affected.
What to do
It is a good day to be outside.
Index range
0 to 50

Category descriptions are the Environmental Protection Agency’s own.

What these numbers are. An index beside a monitor’s name is a measurement, published hourly by AirNow and preliminary until the operating agency certifies it. A category for today or tomorrow is a state or local agency forecaster’s own forecast for a reporting area. An hourly index is NOAA’s air quality model on a five-kilometer grid, not a reading from any instrument. Where a town has no monitor within reach, only the model figures appear, and the page says so.

Nearby

The nearest towns with a page of their own, closest first.

Weather forecast for PortolaWarnings in Plumas CountyLive radar over PortolaCalifornia air quality

Sources

Observations and daily forecasts from AirNow, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s program with NOAA, the National Park Service, NASA, tribal, state and local agencies. Hourly forecasts from NOAA’s National Air Quality Forecast Capability. Smoke analysis from NOAA’s Hazard Mapping System. Alerts from the National Weather Service. Index categories and breakpoints are EPA’s, as revised in 2024.