SmokeDarSpringfield wildfire smoke and air quality
Live readings for Springfield, Illinois: whether wildfire smoke is overhead, what the surface air measures, and how the next five days look. Free, no signup, no ads.
How smoke reaches Springfield
Springfield's central-Illinois prairie sits under the main highway for smoke crossing the continent, but most of it passes high overhead. Hazy sun with decent air is the default; the exceptions come when large plumes sink during calm, hot stretches over the corn belt. That is why SmokeDar reports two numbers for Springfield: smoke aloft (modeled aerosol optical depth from Copernicus CAMS) and surface air (PM2.5 and US AQI, observed AirNow monitor data when a monitor is nearby). They are different things, and they often disagree.
Springfield right now
–US AQI
Open the live radar for the current reading.
Open the live Springfield radarWhat the numbers mean
AQI 0–50 is good and 51–100 is moderate; ordinary days. From 101–150, sensitive groups (kids, older adults, pregnant people, anyone with heart or lung conditions) should shorten hard outdoor exercise. Above 150, everyone should cut both time and intensity outdoors. The full playbook is in the Smoke Guide.