CDPHE - Colorado.gov/AirQuality

Issued for Mesa, Garfield, Delta, Eagle, Grand, Summit, Pitkin, Lake, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Park, Montrose, Gunnison, Chaffee, Teller, Fremont, Saguache, Ouray, San Miguel, Dolores, El Paso, Custer, Pueblo, Otero and Crowley Counties
Issued at 8:18 AM MDT, Friday, July 3, 2026

Issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Affected Area: Mesa, Garfield, Delta, Eagle, Grand, Summit, Pitkin, Lake, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Park, Montrose, Gunnison, Chaffee, Teller, Fremont, Saguache, Ouray, San Miguel, Dolores, El Paso, Custer, Pueblo, Otero and Crowley Counties. Locations include, but are not limited to Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Delta, Eagle, Vail, Granby, Hot Sulphur Springs, Kremmling, Breckenridge, Aspen, Leadville, Georgetown, Central City, Fairplay, Montrose, Nucla, Gunnison, Buena Vista, Salida, Cripple Creek, Canon City, Saguache, Ouray, Telluride, Dove Creek, Colorado Springs, Westcliffe, Pueblo, La Junta and Ordway.

Advisory in Effect: 9:00 AM MDT, Friday, July 3, 2026 to 9:00 AM MDT, Saturday, July 4, 2026

Public Health Recommendations: If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your neighborhood you may want to remain indoors. This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young, and older adults. Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present. Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is making you ill. If visibility is less than 5 miles in smoke in your neighborhood, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy.

Outlook: Moderate to heavy smoke transported from several wildfires in Colorado and Utah will be possible within the advisory area through at least Saturday morning. Some gradual improvement with air quality is possible starting Friday afternoon for northern parts of the advisory area, including locations along and north of Interstate 70 between Grand Junction and Denver.

Additional Information

ACTION DAYS: An Action Day for fine particulate matter (particulates), carbon monoxide, ozone or other pollutants indicates that either current air quality is unhealthy or conditions are expected to worsen later in the day or on the next day. Action Days for air pollutants generally indicate that air quality will be in either the Unhealthy or Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups categories according to the Air Quality Index. Action Days trigger voluntary pollution prevention measures, which may vary by season, and public health recommendations.

The AIR QUALITY INDEX reports the daily level of air pollution on an hourly basis. The index reports the highest level of either carbon monoxide, fine particulates or ozone depending on which pollutant has the greatest hourly concentration. Values greater than 100 for carbon monoxide, fine particulates and ozone indicate exceedances of the pollutant's state and federal standards. Air Quality Index values between 0-50 are good, 51-100 moderate, 101-150 unhealthy for sensitive groups, 151-200 unhealthy, 201-300 very unhealthy, and over 300 hazardous.

COLORADO OPEN BURN FORECAST: For those with permits for Open Burning, that is burning of waste materials or vegetation outside, check the following webpage to find out if open burning is allowed today:
http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/burn_forecast.aspx

FOR CURRENT AIR QUALITY INFORMATION AND UPDATES:
http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/advisory.aspx
http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/air_quality.aspx

ABOUT THE AIR QUALITY INDEX:
https://www.airnow.gov/aqi/aqi-basics/

SOCIAL MEDIA AND AIR QUALITY NOTIFICATIONS:
http://www.facebook.com/cdphe.apcd
http://twitter.com/#!/cdpheapcd
http://www.enviroflash.info/signup.cfm