US Southwest Air Quality Alert: Texas Drought and Dust

Is the air quality good in U.S. Southwest and Southern Plains?

As of March 14, 2025, air quality in parts of the U.S. Southwest and Southern Plains, particularly Texas and Oklahoma, is poor (1)(2). Some areas have recorded "unhealthy" air quality levels due to transboundary smoke from wildfires and agricultural burns in Mexico and high concentrations of regional dust.

Why is there poor air quality in the U.S Southwest and Southern Plains?

There is poor air quality in the U.S. Southwest and Southern Plains due to a combination of drought, dust, wildfire smoke, agricultural burns, and persistent southerly winds transporting pollutants from Mexico into the region.

Cities impacted by poor air quality include:

• Brownsville, Texas
• Corpus Christi, Texas
• El Paso, Texas
• Fort Worth, Texas
• Houston, Texas
• Odessa, Texas
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• St. Louis, Missouri
• Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Wichita, Kansas

Parts of southern New Mexico are also being impacted by high concentrations of dust (3).

Are there any alerts in place?

There are red flag warning across Texas and Oklahoma due to the ongoing drought (4). Because air quality across the region is unhealthy, residents are advised to limit outdoor activities, especially those with respiratory conditions.

How can I protect myself from poor air quality?

• Get a free air quality app for real-time air quality alerts and forecasts.
• Shut doors and windows and set the HVAC to recirculate mode.
• Contribute to your community’s outdoor air quality data.
• Stay indoors when air quality is poor; if you do need to go outdoors, wear a KN95/FFP2 mask.
• Run a high-performance air purifier to filter particles, gases, and other pollutants.