Air Quality in Reno, Nevada — Live

Live readings from PurpleAir sensors across Reno — with free alerts the moment the air turns.

Live Reno AQI from nearby PurpleAir sensors loads when this page opens in a browser, along with a live sensor map covering Reno and Sparks, Sun Valley, Spanish Springs, Verdi, Washoe Valley, Carson City.

Reno sits in the Truckee Meadows, a valley bounded on the west by the Carson Range, on the east by the Virginia Range and the Pine Nut Mountains, on the south by the Steamboat Hills and on the north by Peavine Peak, with the Truckee River running through it from west to east. That western wall is the Sierra Nevada, and it is why Reno's air is so often decided by fires burning in California rather than by anything happening in Nevada. The agency that calls the alerts is Northern Nevada Public Health — it was the Washoe County Health District until it changed its name on 31 August 2023, so both names still turn up in older coverage.

Canairy watches the sensors around your home, your kids' school, and everywhere else you care about, and tells you in plain English when the air changes enough to matter.

August 2021, when the smoke did not lift

The Dixie Fire started on 13 July 2021 and burned until 25 October, covering 963,309 acres across Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta and Tehama counties — the largest single-source wildfire in recorded California history — and destroying about 75 percent of the town of Greenville. While it was still going, the Caldor Fire ignited on 14 August in El Dorado County, and on 30 August became only the second fire known to have crossed the Sierra Nevada crest, forcing the evacuation of all 22,000 residents of South Lake Tahoe at 10:59 that morning.

Reno breathed the result. On 23 August 2021 the health district issued its first-ever Stage 3 air quality emergency episode, triggered when the PM2.5 AQI exceeded 200 across a 24-hour period from Sunday into Monday. Residents were told to stay inside and avoid outdoor activity, keep all windows and doors closed, create a clean air room, and consult a doctor with any heart or lung concerns. The next day, Washoe County recorded a PM2.5 AQI of 291 and a PM10 AQI of 183 — both records in two decades of monitoring. The county's own summary of the moment is the part that stays with you: the top ten worst PM2.5 daily averages had all occurred within the preceding eleven months.

Smoke does not need a big fire, or a distant one

Not every smoke day is a 2021. On 4 September 2024 Northern Nevada Public Health issued an air quality advisory for the Reno-Sparks area because of the Bear Fire, burning roughly 25 miles west of Reno — close enough that a moderate fire was enough to push the forecast from Moderate into Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.

The advice NNPH gives is practical and worth keeping in mind before the season starts: sensitive groups should limit outdoor activity and stay indoors, keep windows and doors shut, and skip the indoor things that add particles of their own — vacuuming, candles, frying food, smoking. Setting up a clean air room in advance is easier than improvising one while the sky is orange.

Winter is a different pollutant with the same geography

The basin that traps smoke in August traps woodsmoke in January. Cold air settles into the Truckee Meadows under a layer of warmer air above it, and whatever is being burned underneath stays put. Wood burning accounts for around 40 percent of wintertime fine particulate matter in the Truckee Meadows — not a rounding error, and not something a distant fire can be blamed for.

That is why Northern Nevada Public Health runs a daily burn code from 1 November through the end of February. Green means burning is allowed, yellow means it is discouraged, and red means it is prohibited. You can check the day's code at OurCleanAir.com or by calling 775-785-4110 before you light a fire.

Reno air quality FAQ

Why is there smoke in Reno today?

Usually a wildfire on the California side of the Sierra, and it does not have to be close. In August 2021 the Caldor Fire in El Dorado County and the Dixie Fire in Northern California together drove Washoe County to its first-ever Stage 3 air quality emergency, with a record PM2.5 AQI of 291 on 24 August. But smaller and nearer fires do it too — in September 2024 the Bear Fire burning about 25 miles west of Reno was enough for Northern Nevada Public Health to issue an advisory forecasting air quality up to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. In winter, a smoky smell is more likely to be woodsmoke held down by an inversion than a wildfire.

What is the air quality in Reno right now?

This page shows the live AQI for Reno, calculated from PurpleAir sensors across the Truckee Meadows and updated continuously. During an inversion the difference between the valley floor and the higher ground on the west side can be substantial, so the sensor nearest your house is a better guide than a single number for the metro area.

How bad does Reno smoke actually get?

At its worst, hazardous. On 23 August 2021 the health district declared its first Stage 3 air quality emergency episode after the PM2.5 AQI stayed above 200 for a full 24 hours, telling everyone to stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed and set up a clean air room. The following day Washoe County logged a PM2.5 AQI of 291 and a PM10 AQI of 183, both records across roughly twenty years of monitoring, and the ten worst PM2.5 days on record had all fallen within the previous eleven months.

Can I burn wood in my fireplace in Reno?

It depends on the day. Northern Nevada Public Health runs a daily burn code from 1 November through the end of February, because wood burning is responsible for around 40 percent of wintertime fine particulate matter in the Truckee Meadows. Green means burning is allowed, yellow means it is discouraged, and red means it is prohibited. Check the day's code at OurCleanAir.com or call 775-785-4110.

What AQI level is unhealthy?

Under the US EPA scale, AQI 0–50 is Good and 51–100 is Moderate. From 101 the air is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups — kids, older adults, and people with asthma or heart conditions — and above 150 it's Unhealthy for everyone. Canairy translates these numbers into a plain-English verdict, like whether to close the windows or move a workout indoors.

Is Canairy free?

Yes. The Canairy app is free to download and includes live air quality for all your saved places, plain-English verdicts, and free push alerts when the air crosses your threshold. A paid plan adds extras like SMS text alerts.

Get Canairy free on Google Play.