Virginia air quality

Captains Cove, Virginia Air Quality

Accomack County37.990, -75.423

The nearest reporting area, Sussex County, measured an index of 31 this hour, which is Good. Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources and Environment forecasts Good for Sussex County today and Good tomorrow. NOAA’s analysts drew medium wildfire smoke over the town today.

Measured now
31 · Good
Today
40 · Good
Tomorrow
37 · Good
Pollutant
Ozone

Fine particles on the map

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

Forecast fine particulate matter from NOAA’s National Air Quality Forecast Capability over Captains Cove, Virginia 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 Captains Cove right now. All Virginia warnings.

Now

Good

Reporting area
Sussex County, DE, 48 miles away
Reported by
Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources and Environment
Area index
31 · Good

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

Today and tomorrow

Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources and Environment's own forecast for Sussex County, written by a forecaster rather than read off a model.

DayCategoryIndexPollutant
TodayGood40Ozone
TomorrowGood37Ozone
Tuesday, September 22Good33Ozone

The forecaster’s discussion

Written by Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources and Environment for Sussex County and filed with AirNow.

Sunday, September 20: As a cold front approaches from the northwest, south-southwesterly winds will gradually transport regional pollutants into Delaware. However, increasing clouds and scattered rain showers will limit ozone production. Furthermore, pollutant carryover from the previous day will be low. Therefore, AQI levels are anticipated to remain Good for ozone and PM2.5. Monday and Tuesday, as strong surface high pressure builds to the north, moderate and gusty northeasterly winds will develop, ushering a cleaner, cooler air mass into the First State. Additionally, clouds and rain showers will continue to inhibit ozone formation. Thus, AQI levels are anticipated to be Good for ozone and PM2.5 on both days.

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 35, Good, around Mon, 10:00 PM EDT, from the run issued Sun, 8:00 AM EDT. This is a model, not a measurement.

HourIndexCategoryPM2.5Ozone
Sun, 10:00 AM EDT14Good2.9
Sun, 11:00 AM EDT14Good2.7
Sun, 12:00 PM EDT14Good2.6
Sun, 1:00 PM EDT15Good2.9
Sun, 2:00 PM EDT16Good3
Sun, 3:00 PM EDT16Good2.9
Sun, 4:00 PM EDT29Good3.331.4
Sun, 5:00 PM EDT30Good2.932.2
Sun, 6:00 PM EDT31Good3.133
Sun, 7:00 PM EDT31Good2.333.5
Sun, 8:00 PM EDT31Good2.533.6
Sun, 9:00 PM EDT31Good3.633.2
Sun, 10:00 PM EDT30Good2.232.6
Sun, 11:00 PM EDT29Good1.931.8
Mon, 12:00 AM EDT28Good2.430.9
Mon, 1:00 AM EDT27Good1.229.8
Mon, 2:00 AM EDT26Good1.428.5
Mon, 3:00 AM EDT25Good1.427.3
Mon, 4:00 AM EDT24Good1.326.5
Mon, 5:00 AM EDT24Good2.126.3
Mon, 6:00 AM EDT24Good426.5
Mon, 7:00 AM EDT24Good4.726.5
Mon, 8:00 AM EDT24Good5.126.4
Mon, 9:00 AM EDT24Good4.526.7
Mon, 10:00 AM EDT27Good5.327.8
Mon, 11:00 AM EDT31Good6.229.1
Mon, 12:00 PM EDT29Good5.129.7
Mon, 1:00 PM EDT27Good4.229.9
Mon, 2:00 PM EDT28Good430.3
Mon, 3:00 PM EDT29Good4.731.4
Mon, 4:00 PM EDT31Good533.1
Mon, 5:00 PM EDT31Good6.534.6
Mon, 6:00 PM EDT32Good6.235.3
Mon, 7:00 PM EDT32Good3.935.7
Mon, 8:00 PM EDT33Good3.336.9
Mon, 9:00 PM EDT34Good4.337.9
Mon, 10:00 PM EDT35Good4.838.1
Mon, 11:00 PM EDT34Good4.737.8
Tue, 12:00 AM EDT33Good4.637
Tue, 1:00 AM EDT32Good4.735.9
Tue, 2:00 AM EDT31Good4.234.9
Tue, 3:00 AM EDT31Good3.934
Tue, 4:00 AM EDT31Good4.533.1
Tue, 5:00 AM EDT30Good5.232.4
Tue, 6:00 AM EDT29Good3.531.8
Tue, 7:00 AM EDT29Good4.131.3
Tue, 8:00 AM EDT28Good4.831
Tue, 9:00 AM EDT28Good530.9
Tue, 10:00 AM EDT29Good4.531
Tue, 11:00 AM EDT29Good3.931.2
Tue, 12:00 PM EDT29Good2.831.7
Tue, 1:00 PM EDT30Good2.832.3
Tue, 2:00 PM EDT30Good2.733
Tue, 3:00 PM EDT31Good333.5
Tue, 4:00 PM EDT31Good3.133.9
Tue, 5:00 PM EDT31Good3.133.9
Tue, 6:00 PM EDT31Good2.933.5
Tue, 7:00 PM EDT30Good1.232.9
Tue, 8:00 PM EDT30Good1.832.1
Tue, 9:00 PM EDT28Good1.330.8
Tue, 10:00 PM EDT27Good1.729.5
Tue, 11:00 PM EDT26Good228.2
Wed, 12:00 AM EDT24Good1.726.9
Wed, 1:00 AM EDT23Good1.125.7
Wed, 2:00 AM EDT23Good0.925.1
Wed, 3:00 AM EDT22Good1.524.6
Wed, 4:00 AM EDT22Good1.624.2
Wed, 5:00 AM EDT22Good2.424.1
Wed, 6:00 AM EDT22Good2.424.3
Wed, 7:00 AM EDT22Good424.9
Wed, 8:00 AM EDT23Good425.6

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 Hazard Mapping System analysts drew medium smoke over Captains Cove in satellite imagery today (Sun, 8:00 AM EDT to Sun, 11:00 AM EDT). That is smoke seen from above; it is not always smoke at ground level.

NOAA’s model forecasts near-surface smoke peaking at 0.4 µg/m³ around Mon, 4:00 AM EDT.

Smoke on the radar over Captains Cove

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 Captains CoveWarnings in Accomack CountyLive radar over Captains CoveVirginia 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.