NM Border Air Quality Blog

April 14 -

Another major dust event along the border. It is miserable in Las Cruces and started in the morning but visibility is dipping in the early afternoon. By 12:30 the visibility is down to 1 mile or less. The AQI forecast is not telling the whole story this day. The air quality is bad in the Paso del Norte but also across the region.

The 11 am reading of PM10 at the NMED West Mesa station was 2311 µg/m3, in the hazardous AQI category. The station also had 53 mph wind gusts during that hour.  With air quality like it is, it is best to stay at home and limit your outside exposure as much as possible.

The visibility is about 0.75 miles based on this image taken at 1 pm today from my porch on the east side of Las Cruces.

 

I also see that highways 11 (Deming to Columbus) and 180  (Deming to Silver City) are closed due to blowing dust limiting visibility. There are also warning signs on I-10 west of Las Cruces to the Arizona border due to high winds.