Air Quality

For Immediate Release from Teton County Public Health - Protect Yourself from Wildland Fire Smoke

October 8, 2024, Jackson, WY – As wildfires burn in surrounding areas and wildland fire smoke settles in the valley, Teton County Health Department encourages Jackson residents to be mindful of the potential health effects caused by wildfire smoke.

Wildfire smoke can hurt your eyes, aggravate respiratory problems, and worsen the symptoms of heart or lung disease. According to Teton District Health Officer, Dr. Travis Riddell, MD, MPH, “Everyone should avoid prolonged outdoor exercise when the air quality index, AQI, exceeds 200 and our local air is ‘Very Unhealthy’ or ‘Hazardous’ as defined by AirNow. Those at-risk should be especially careful in limiting their smoke exposure.” At-risk individuals include people who have pre-existing heart and respiratory conditions, including allergies, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Older adults are more likely to be affected because they are more likely to have heart or lung disease, and children are vulnerable because their airways are still developing and because they breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults.

Tips: Keep windows and doors closed, set up a portable air cleaner or filter, seek shelter elsewhere if you do not have an air conditioner and it is too warm to stay inside with the windows closed, do not use anything that burns, do not vacuum, if you must be outdoors for prolonged periods, a well-fitting “respirator” type face mask (such as an N-95) may reduce particulate exposure. 

Teton County Health Department’s webpage, http://www.tetoncountywy.gov/589/Protect-Yourself-From-Wildfire-Smoke.

AIR QUALITY DATA for Teton County, Wyoming

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) uses several hours of past data and an algorithm to show current air quality conditions. Refer to the legend below to match the current AQI color with associated ‘level of concern.’ Click here to view this data in more detail on the EPA’s AirNow website.

grand teton air quality and visibility webcam

The air quality station in Grand Teton National Park provides visibility estimates for viewing the Teton Range. Click here.

Other Air Quality Resources

Here are some other resources when making decisions about work, exercise, and exposure:

• Fire and Smoke Map The EPA’s Air Now website offers a Fire and Smoke Map. Zoom to the Jackson area and click on the square see the current estimated Air Quality Index (AQI) value.

• Air Quality Map Also through the EPA, you can find the Interactive Map of Air Quality (AQI) to see information from nearby areas to estimate local air quality.

• Protect Your Health See the EPA’s Activity Guides to learn ways to protect your health when the AQI reaches unhealthy levels.

Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Real-Time Particulate Matter Data

With assistance from Teton Conservation District, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality converted their particulate matter (PM) measurement equipment located on High School Road to real-time data collection equipment in early 2021.

Click here to access the real-time information on the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s website. On their webpage, select the ‘Sites’ drop-down menu and then select ‘Jackson SLAMS’. An alternate way to access the same information is under ‘Layers’ at the top of the map, select either ‘24 Hour PM10 Rolling Average’ or ‘24 Hour PM2.5 Rolling Average.’ To access Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality reports and data from these instruments, click here.

mobile air quality monitoring station

The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Air Quality Division placed one of their three mobile air quality monitoring stations on the National Elk Refuge from August 2018 to October 2019.

In addition to measuring standard meteorological parameters like wind speed and direction, temperature, precipitation, and humidity, the mobile station also measured ozone, oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter .

Teton Conservation District served as the site operator for the station. This involved repairs, maintenance, and performing monthly instrument checks. The site was subject to challenges including power surges, instrument failures, and leaking gas lines. We worked with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality to diagnose and repair problems with software and hardware. To learn more about Teton Conservation District’s regular checks on the station, read this blog entry. To access Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality reports and data from this project, click here.