SmogRank / Episodes / Brazil

São Paulo, Brazil, April 2024

For 2 days, from 23 to 24 April 2024, 8 cities in Brazil had PM2.5 at least twice their usual for the time of year. The worst reading was Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil: 41.1 µg/m³ on 24 April, about 2.7× its usual 15.3. Ended 24 April.

Likely smoke from firesFires were detected within 300 km of the city on 69% of the counted city-days. Satellites see crop, field and forest fires alike, so this doesn't say which burned.
Cities reached8in 1 country
Days223 to 24 April 2024
Worst day24 April8 cities counted
Furthest above usual2.8×Campinas

Day by day

24 April 8 cities at twice their usual or more
LimeiraPiracicabaSão José dos CamposSantosTaubatéGuaratinguetáRibeirão PretoSão José do Rio PretoDuque de CaxiasJundiaíSão PauloPaulíniaSanto AndréFerraz de VasconcelosRio ClaroItaquaquecetubaCampinas

On the map: 120 fire detections.

20 Apr21222324252627
Every measured city in the area, coloured by its PM2.5 that day; a dark ring marks a city at twice its usual or more. Bars: cities counted each day, coloured by their median level. Choose a day or press play; without JavaScript, the days link to that day's world ranking.
  • Fires, seenHeat NASA satellites detected that day; bigger and glowing means more detections in the area. Farm burning and other fires count too, not only wildfires.

Under the cities, for each UTC day: fires NASA satellites detected, smoke NOAA analysts traced and volcanic ash warnings for aircraft. They show what was in the air, not that it caused the readings. Mapped for 7 of the 8 days shown.

Fires: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS). Traced smoke: NOAA Hazard Mapping System. Volcanic ash: aviation ash warnings (SIGMETs) via NOAA's Aviation Weather Center.

How it spread

CampinasCampinas, 20 April: 15.3 µg/m³Campinas, 21 April: 17.8 µg/m³Campinas, 22 April: 24.5 µg/m³Campinas, 23 April: 32.5 µg/m³, 2.8× its usual 11.8Campinas, 24 April: 28.5 µg/m³, 2.4× its usual 11.8Campinas, 25 April: 21.8 µg/m³Campinas, 26 April: 19.5 µg/m³Campinas, 27 April: 21.3 µg/m³Ferraz de Vasconcel…Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 20 April: 9.8 µg/m³Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 21 April: 16.1 µg/m³Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 22 April: 19.7 µg/m³Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 23 April: 28.9 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 12.6Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 24 April: 28.0 µg/m³, 2.2× its usual 12.6Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 25 April: 10.1 µg/m³Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 26 April: 11.3 µg/m³Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 27 April: 18.8 µg/m³ItaquaquecetubaItaquaquecetuba, 20 April: 10.3 µg/m³Itaquaquecetuba, 21 April: 16.4 µg/m³Itaquaquecetuba, 22 April: 18.0 µg/m³Itaquaquecetuba, 23 April: 26.6 µg/m³, 2.5× its usual 10.6Itaquaquecetuba, 24 April: 29.5 µg/m³, 2.8× its usual 10.6Itaquaquecetuba, 25 April: 12.8 µg/m³Itaquaquecetuba, 26 April: 13.0 µg/m³Itaquaquecetuba, 27 April: 16.2 µg/m³São PauloSão Paulo, 20 April: 11.8 µg/m³São Paulo, 21 April: 17.4 µg/m³São Paulo, 22 April: 20.3 µg/m³São Paulo, 23 April: 26.6 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 12.5São Paulo, 24 April: 25.5 µg/m³, 2.0× its usual 12.5São Paulo, 25 April: 15.2 µg/m³São Paulo, 26 April: 15.6 µg/m³São Paulo, 27 April: 18.2 µg/m³Santo AndréSanto André, 20 April: 11.2 µg/m³Santo André, 21 April: 19.5 µg/m³Santo André, 22 April: 20.6 µg/m³Santo André, 23 April: 25.2 µg/m³, 2.0× its usual 12.6Santo André, 24 April: 27.2 µg/m³, 2.2× its usual 12.4Santo André, 25 April: 12.3 µg/m³Santo André, 26 April: 12.5 µg/m³Santo André, 27 April: 21.0 µg/m³Rio ClaroRio Claro, 20 April: 15.7 µg/m³Rio Claro, 21 April: 17.9 µg/m³Rio Claro, 22 April: 23.3 µg/m³Rio Claro, 23 April: 28.3 µg/m³Rio Claro, 24 April: 41.1 µg/m³, 2.7× its usual 15.3Rio Claro, 25 April: 23.4 µg/m³Rio Claro, 26 April: 22.7 µg/m³Rio Claro, 27 April: no readingPaulíniaPaulínia, 20 April: 13.3 µg/m³Paulínia, 21 April: 15.5 µg/m³Paulínia, 22 April: 13.6 µg/m³Paulínia, 23 April: 18.4 µg/m³Paulínia, 24 April: 27.1 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 12.9Paulínia, 25 April: 20.0 µg/m³Paulínia, 26 April: 17.7 µg/m³Paulínia, 27 April: 16.8 µg/m³JundiaíJundiaí, 20 April: 10.7 µg/m³Jundiaí, 21 April: 12.0 µg/m³Jundiaí, 22 April: 19.7 µg/m³Jundiaí, 23 April: 23.5 µg/m³Jundiaí, 24 April: 25.0 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 11.9Jundiaí, 25 April: 19.5 µg/m³Jundiaí, 26 April: 16.9 µg/m³Jundiaí, 27 April: 22.0 µg/m³20 Apr21222324252627
Every counted city, in the order the episode reached them, 3 days before to 3 after. Each square is a day, coloured by that day's PM2.5; outlined: at twice the city's usual or more.
Good0–50
Moderate51–100
Sensitive groups101–150
Unhealthy151–200
Very unhealthy201–300
Hazardous301+

Every city it reached

CityDaysHighestUsualAbove usual
CampinasSão Paulo, Brazil2 32.523 April11.82.8×
ItaquaquecetubaSão Paulo, Brazil2 29.524 April10.62.8×
Rio ClaroSão Paulo, Brazil1 41.124 April15.32.7×
Ferraz de VasconcelosSão Paulo, Brazil2 28.923 April12.62.3×
Santo AndréSão Paulo, Brazil2 27.224 April12.42.2×
PaulíniaSão Paulo, Brazil1 27.124 April12.92.1×
São PauloSão Paulo, Brazil2 26.623 April12.52.1×
JundiaíSão Paulo, Brazil1 25.024 April11.92.1×

Daily means in µg/m³, over the days each city counted in this episode. Highest: its highest of those days. Usual: the city's median for the time of year of that day (its days within 21 days of the date, every year, leaving out the week around it). Above usual: its highest day against that, with a usual under 5 µg/m³ taken as 5.

Against other episodes in Brazil

Number 19 of 20 episodes in Brazil since our records began, by cities reached.

Bars: cities reached; colour: the level of the episode's highest daily reading. All 20.

Use this page

SmogRank, São Paulo, Brazil, April 2024: 8 cities with PM2.5 at twice their usual or more, 23 to 24 April 2024, smogrank.com/episodes/2024-04-sao-paulo-brazil (accessed 12 October 2026).

Download top 10 (PNG)

You're welcome to reuse a single chart, image or figure with this citation and a link. Terms.

An episode is a run of days when many cities close to each other (four or more within 350 km on a day, 8 or more in all) each had a daily PM2.5 mean of at least 25 µg/m³ and at least 2 times their usual for that time of year. Found in our own measurements, not picked by hand. How we find episodes. Values are each city's daily mean of its own monitors; causes are the usual kinds for a pattern like this, not a confirmed source. Fire detections from NASA FIRMS; smoke maps from NOAA HMS. Dust: contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information 2024. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.