Worst air pollution Smith Mountain Lake, today and tomorrow

On 9 August 2026, overall air quality in Smith Mountain Lake is fair. AQI is the main air quality indicator at 28.9/100. Pollution peaks around 12:00 AM (O3: 28.9/100).

On 10 August 2026, air quality conditions in Smith Mountain Lake will be similar to today, with AQI forecast at fair at 35.5/100. Pollution peaks around 10:00 AM (O3: 35.5/100).

Like most US cities, Smith Mountain Lake sees air quality shift from season to season. Typically, the cleanest stretch of the year usually comes in winter, while hot, humid summer conditions and regional haze drive ozone spikes, especially during heat waves. Dense urban traffic corridors add a persistent background level of pollution that varies less by season than ozone does.

It is forecasts derived by downscaling forecasts provided by EU’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) by taking into account local conditions such as traffic patterns. CAMS bases its forecast on satellite measurements of particles and chemical compounds in the atmosphere. Airmine’s services were developed with support from the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) team.

Airmine’s forecast uses CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) as its background atmospheric model. While CAMS includes wildfire emissions, these are derived from satellite observations and are not available in real time. During rapidly evolving wildfire events, there may therefore be a delay before increased emissions are incorporated into the model. As a result, the forecast may temporarily underestimate PM₂.₅ and other pollutants associated with wildfire smoke.

During rapidly evolving wildfire events, CAMS may lag by approximately 1–2 days before increased wildfire emissions are fully represented, which can lead to temporary underestimation of PM₂.₅ concentrations in Airmine’s forecast.