Wisconsin air quality

Air quality alerts

Official alert No active National Weather Service air quality alerts for Wisconsin as of November 13, 2026, 5:25 pm CST.

Source: NOAA National Weather Service active alerts. Checked November 13, 2026, 5:25 pm CST.

Reporting areas now

13 reporting areas of 15 in Wisconsin have a current reading.

AirNow reporting areas in Wisconsin: current AQI and today's forecast
Reporting areaCurrent AQI (measured)Main pollutantObservedToday's forecast
Central Waters North10 · GoodPM2.55 pm CSTGood
Central Waters South5 · GoodPM2.55 pm CSTGood
Chippewa Valley and Eastern Twin Cities10 · GoodPM2.55 pm CSTGood
Driftless Area North10 · GoodPM2.55 pm CSTGood
Driftless Area South9 · GoodPM2.55 pm CSTGood
Green Bay and Fox Cities6 · GoodPM2.55 pm CSTGood
Kenosha-Racine Lakeside7 · GoodPM2.55 pm CSTGood
Kettle Moraine North31 · GoodOzone5 pm CSTGood
Kettle Moraine South9 · GoodPM2.55 pm CSTGood
Kewaunee-DoorNo current readingNot reportedNo readingGood
Madison Area8 · GoodPM2.55 pm CSTGood
Milwaukee-Ozaukee10 · GoodPM2.55 pm CSTGood
Northwoods East29 · GoodOzone5 pm CSTGood
Northwoods West34 · GoodOzone5 pm CSTGood
Sheboygan-ManitowocNo current readingNot reportedNo readingGood

Source: U.S. EPA AirNow and partner agencies. Current readings are preliminary measurements; forecasts are agency predictions. Checked November 13, 2026, 5:25 pm CST.

Map

Layers and filters

Forecast day
Air quality layers
Fires and local notices
AQI category

  • AirNow AQI estimate:
  • Good 0–50
  • Moderate 51–100
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 101–150
  • Unhealthy 151–200
  • Very Unhealthy 201–300
  • Hazardous 301 and higher
  • No estimate
  • Withheld: out of date
  • Monitor (colored by its reading)
  • Air quality alert (NWS)
  • Agency forecast by reporting area:
  • Good 0–50
  • Moderate 51–100
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 101–150
  • Unhealthy 151–200
  • Very Unhealthy 201–300
  • Hazardous 301 and higher
  • Not issued for this day
  • Action day declared
  • Air quality alert (NWS)
  • Active wildfire (badge size: reported acres)
  • Older fire record, still on the national list (drawn lighter and one size smaller)
  • Under 1,000 acres, or size not reported1,000 to 9,999 acres10,000 to 99,999 acres100,000 acres or more
  • Fire perimeter (latest mapped extent)
  • Authorized or prescribed burn
  • Mandatory burn restriction or action day (county)
  • Voluntary burn restriction or action day
  • Reported emission event
  • Reported air release
  • Enforcement notice
  • State or city sensor (grey; colored only by an AQI its operator publishes)
  • Facility
  • Major source facility
  • Days with an AQI above 100 in the selected year:
  • No days
  • 1–3 days
  • 4–7 days
  • 8–14 days
  • 15–30 days
  • 31 or more days
  • Incomplete data
  • No monitor

A county is shaded when its monitors reported an AQI on at least 75% of the year's days. Counties with fewer days are hatched; counties without a monitor are grey.

About this map

Data status.

    Now. The shading is AirNow's current AQI contour map for the chosen product: Combined is AirNow's PM2.5-and-ozone map as supplied, and PM2.5 and Ozone are its single-pollutant maps. AirNow interpolates between monitors each hour, so the shading is an estimate for an area rather than a measurement at an address, and areas without enough nearby monitors are left unshaded as "no estimate." Monitor points show each site's latest hourly reading (NowCast for particles and ozone); in Combined each point shows the higher of its PM2.5 and ozone AQI. The map checks for new data every five minutes, and zooms no closer than the resolution of AirNow's estimate (about 5 km). When observations are more than six hours old they are withheld.

    Forecast. Each marker is a forecast issued by a state, local or tribal air agency for an AirNow reporting area, for that area's own local date. Forecasts cover the areas agencies choose to forecast, so many areas have none for a given day; those are marked "not issued." A forecast is a prediction for the whole reporting area. Action days are declared by the agencies.

    History. Each county is shaded by the number of days its monitors reported a daily AQI above 100 in the selected year, from the U.S. EPA AirData annual summary by county. A county is shaded only when it reported an AQI on at least 75% of the year's days; counties with fewer days are hatched, and counties without a monitor are grey. EPA publishes certified annual data months after the year ends.

    Advisories. Official air quality alerts from NOAA's National Weather Service are drawn with a bold dashed outline and hatching over the zones or counties they name. They disappear when they expire.

    Wildfires. Wildfires and fire complexes reported by fire managers to the National Interagency Fire Center are drawn as a flame in a dark badge, larger for larger reported sizes. The national fire list keeps a fire until it is declared out, often for months. Shown as active: wildfires discovered in the last 14 days, and older fires reported less than 90% contained with a record update in the last 14 days. Other fires still on the national list are older records. Older records are drawn only when "Older fire records" is switched on in Layers and filters, as a hollow grey badge one size smaller with a thin perimeter outline. At the national view the map shows active wildfires of 100 acres or more; smaller ones and fires without a reported size appear when you zoom in. Prescribed fires are shown when discovered or updated in the last 14 days. A perimeter shows the last mapped extent at the time stated; the fire may have moved since, and many fires have no perimeter. A fire on the map does not mean smoke is reaching the ground nearby: the air quality readings show that.

    Burns and restrictions. Authorized agricultural and land-management burns published by state and local agencies, and prescribed fires reported nationally, are drawn as a small outlined flame. Burn restrictions, no-burn days and action days are drawn over the counties they name: a solid outline with dots when mandatory, a dashed outline when voluntary, each marked with a crossed-out flame. Notices that restrict nothing are listed in the details and the table rather than drawn.

    Reported events, sensors and facilities. Emission events, air releases and enforcement notices published by state and local agencies are drawn as diamonds where the agency gives a location. Sensors are state- and city-run sensors outside the official AirNow network, drawn as small squares; their readings are shown as the operator publishes them and are not the official AQI. Facilities are air-permitted facilities listed by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Listing a facility, a burn or an event does not indicate that it caused any reading.

    Current observations are preliminary data from the U.S. EPA AirNow program and participating air quality agencies; for official readings visit AirNow.gov. Alerts: National Weather Service. Wildfires: National Interagency Fire Center. Burns, restrictions, events and sensors: the state, county and city agencies named in each item. History: EPA AirData. County and state outlines: U.S. Census Bureau. Basemap: © OpenStreetMap contributors, OpenMapTiles, served by OpenFreeMap.

    Places on the map

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    Local notices and fires in view

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    KindTitlePlaceStatusContainmentAgeTimeSource

    The shading shows AirNow's interpolated estimates between monitors; markers show individual monitors.

    State and local notices

    Air Quality Watch does not carry state or local agency notices for Wisconsin yet.

    Wildfires in Wisconsin

    Reported 3 active wildfires are listed in Wisconsin.

    Active wildfires in Wisconsin
    FireReported sizeContainedDiscoveredLast updated
    Cutoff · Rusk0.9 acresNot reportedNovember 8, 2026, 12 am CST (5 days ago)November 12, 2026, 9:52 am CST
    abc · MarquetteSize not reportedNot reportedNovember 11, 2026, 12 am CST (2 days ago)November 11, 2026, 12:30 pm CST
    Hwy V · RuskSize not reportedNot reportedNovember 7, 2026, 12 am CST (6 days ago)November 12, 2026, 9:50 am CST

    Shown as active: wildfires discovered in the last 14 days, and older fires reported less than 90% contained with a record update in the last 14 days. Other fires still on the national list are older records.

    8 older fire records remain on the national list for Wisconsin
    • Redhouse: 22 acres, containment not reported, discovered October 6, 2026
    • Cinder: 6.2 acres, containment not reported, discovered October 10, 2026
    • Trepania: 2.9 acres, containment not reported, discovered October 24, 2026
    • Evergreen: 0.1 acres, containment not reported, discovered October 24, 2026
    • New Address: 0.1 acres, containment not reported, discovered October 26, 2026

    The 5 largest by reported size are listed.

    Prescribed fires

    3 prescribed fires are listed in Wisconsin. Prescribed fires are planned burns set by land managers; those discovered or updated in the last 14 days are listed.

    Prescribed fires in Wisconsin
    FireReported sizeDiscoveredLast updated
    rx-99 · Burnett327 acresOctober 23, 2026, 12:35 pm CDT (21 days ago)November 3, 2026, 9:29 am CST
    rx-Hwy 59 Horsetrail · Waukesha41 acresNovember 10, 2026, 11:49 am CST (3 days ago)November 12, 2026, 8:09 am CST
    rx-Chiwaukee U4 B1-2 · Kenosha31 acresNovember 9, 2026, 12:08 pm CST (4 days ago)November 9, 2026, 3:58 pm CST

    Source: Wildland fire incidents and perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center (WFIGS, IRWIN). Checked November 13, 2026, 5:25 pm CST. Fire locations and sizes are as reported by fire managers and can lag events. A perimeter shows the last mapped extent at the stated time; the fire may have moved since, and many fires have no perimeter. A fire on the map does not mean smoke is reaching the ground nearby: check the air quality readings.

    Monitoring coverage

    AirNow lists 15 reporting areas in Wisconsin. In 2025, 29 of the 72 counties in Wisconsin had a county AQI record in EPA AirData, and 17 of those had an AQI on at least 75% of days. The other 43 had no monitor reporting an AQI, so their history is unknown.

    How often the air was unhealthy in 2025

    Wisconsin counties with an AQI record in 2025: days with AQI above 100
    CountyDays above 100Days with AQIHighest AQICompleteness
    Kenosha County19347167Complete
    Milwaukee County16365175Complete
    Ozaukee County15365167Complete
    Forest County14361182Complete
    Ashland County13365188Complete
    Brown County11365175Complete
    Eau Claire County11365174Complete
    Jackson County10332172Complete
    Waukesha County10365172Complete
    Outagamie County9365172Complete
    Marathon County9342168Complete
    Monroe County9305165Complete
    Racine County8199122Incomplete: AQI on 199 days, fewer than the 274 needed
    Dodge County7365171Complete
    Sheboygan County7199156Incomplete: AQI on 199 days, fewer than the 274 needed
    Dane County6365170Complete
    Sauk County6365167Complete
    Grant County3358167Complete
    Walworth County3199112Incomplete: AQI on 199 days, fewer than the 274 needed
    Manitowoc County1199115Incomplete: AQI on 199 days, fewer than the 274 needed
    Columbia County1198108Incomplete: AQI on 198 days, fewer than the 274 needed
    Door County1198108Incomplete: AQI on 198 days, fewer than the 274 needed
    Rock County1199108Incomplete: AQI on 199 days, fewer than the 274 needed
    Jefferson County1198105Incomplete: AQI on 198 days, fewer than the 274 needed
    Kewaunee County1199105Incomplete: AQI on 199 days, fewer than the 274 needed
    Vilas County1199105Incomplete: AQI on 199 days, fewer than the 274 needed
    Taylor County036397Complete
    La Crosse County019890Incomplete: AQI on 198 days, fewer than the 274 needed
    Fond du Lac County019980Incomplete: AQI on 199 days, fewer than the 274 needed

    Source: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county, 2025, data as of June 25, 2026. A complete year has an AQI on at least 274 days.

    About the history data and other years

    Official sources