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Will Mexico wildfires impact Houston's air quality?
Southeast winds will help bring in additional haze across the Houston skyline.
KHOU 11 Staff, Kim Castro, Chita Craft
11:56 AM CDT April 24, 2024
11:56 AM CDT April 24, 2024
HOUSTON — Wildfires on the east coast of Mexico continue to burn and spread, but you’re probably wondering why that matters to Houston.
Well, we have high pressure sitting just to our east and that gives a clockwise rotation providing southeasterly winds across the area. With an onshore wind, we could pick up some of the smoke from the wildfires in Mexico.
No air quality alert has been issued but we will be monitoring the air quality closely over the next 48 hours.
Starting Thursday, winds become stronger. So there is a better chance the strong southerly winds impact the air quality across the area. The wildfires from central and southern Mexico may produce higher smoke particles across the city.
Wildfires in Mexico on the outskirts of the capitol are not expected to impact the Astros game they’re playing in Mexico City this Friday and Saturday.
Last week, when the same weather pattern set up, air quality remained good to moderate, not impacting outdoor activities. Because high pressure is not directly overhead, subsidence–dry sinking air that would transport smoke to the ground–does not take place.
Instead, high pressure to the east of us transports warm, humid air from the gulf that then rises–because it’s lighter than dry air. Because of this, the smoke that’s transported from Mexico stays suspended aloft.
