SmogRank / Episodes / United States
California, United States, December 2024
For 11 days, from 1 to 11 December 2024, 61 cities in the United States had PM2.5 at least twice their usual for the time of year. The worst reading was Visalia, California, United States: 64.8 µg/m³ on 4 December, about 3.8× its usual 17.0.
Day by day
How it spread
Every city it reached
| City | Days | Highest | Above usual |
|---|---|---|---|
| FontanaCalifornia, United States | 3 | 51.75 December | 5.2× |
| MartinezCalifornia, United States | 2 | 37.17 December | 4.9× |
| PortervilleCalifornia, United States | 9 | 54.86 December | 4.9× |
| AgouraCalifornia, United States | 2 | 29.64 December | 4.9× |
| VallejoCalifornia, United States | 3 | 37.67 December | 4.7× |
| Lake ElsinoreCalifornia, United States | 2 | 27.35 December | 4.6× |
| Palo AltoCalifornia, United States | 5 | 41.611 December | 4.5× |
| RiversideCalifornia, United States | 3 | 53.55 December | 4.4× |
| ConcordCalifornia, United States | 2 | 26.57 December | 4.3× |
| San LeandroCalifornia, United States | 1 | 27.77 December | 4.3× |
| ClovisCalifornia, United States | 10 | 51.36 December | 4.2× |
| La Crescenta-MontroseCalifornia, United States | 1 | 25.04 December | 4.2× |
| San RafaelCalifornia, United States | 1 | 27.97 December | 4.2× |
| BurbankCalifornia, United States | 3 | 44.25 December | 4.2× |
| Los AngelesCalifornia, United States | 4 | 45.25 December | 4.0× |
| Santa MonicaCalifornia, United States | 3 | 32.05 December | 4.0× |
| PleasantonCalifornia, United States | 1 | 27.111 December | 4.0× |
| Jurupa ValleyCalifornia, United States | 4 | 58.05 December | 4.0× |
| MercedCalifornia, United States | 6 | 51.57 December | 3.9× |
| San FranciscoCalifornia, United States | 1 | 32.27 December | 3.8× |
| VisaliaCalifornia, United States | 5 | 64.84 December | 3.8× |
| South San FranciscoCalifornia, United States | 2 | 30.08 December | 3.8× |
| WoodlandCalifornia, United States | 6 | 42.57 December | 3.8× |
| OaklandCalifornia, United States | 3 | 35.57 December | 3.7× |
| SacramentoCalifornia, United States | 5 | 35.37 December | 3.7× |
| VacavilleCalifornia, United States | 1 | 26.811 December | 3.7× |
| LivermoreCalifornia, United States | 1 | 25.611 December | 3.7× |
| CorcoranCalifornia, United States | 7 | 48.15 December | 3.6× |
| San DiegoCalifornia, United States | 2 | 37.16 December | 3.6× |
| MantecaCalifornia, United States | 9 | 44.07 December | 3.6× |
| LomitaCalifornia, United States | 2 | 28.86 December | 3.6× |
| MaderaCalifornia, United States | 8 | 46.47 December | 3.5× |
| TurlockCalifornia, United States | 9 | 46.57 December | 3.5× |
| HanfordCalifornia, United States | 9 | 53.85 December | 3.4× |
| BakersfieldCalifornia, United States | 9 | 61.07 December | 3.3× |
| ChicoCalifornia, United States | 5 | 29.328 November | 3.3× |
| OceansideCalifornia, United States | 2 | 25.96 December | 3.2× |
| RichmondCalifornia, United States | 2 | 32.37 December | 3.2× |
| GaltCalifornia, United States | 1 | 26.57 December | 3.2× |
| BerkeleyCalifornia, United States | 3 | 35.17 December | 3.2× |
| FresnoCalifornia, United States | 8 | 57.16 December | 3.2× |
| Chula VistaCalifornia, United States | 1 | 28.86 December | 3.2× |
| San JoseCalifornia, United States | 4 | 32.38 December | 3.1× |
| InglewoodCalifornia, United States | 4 | 32.05 December | 3.1× |
| Yuba CityCalifornia, United States | 1 | 26.37 December | 3.1× |
| AnaheimCalifornia, United States | 4 | 40.25 December | 3.0× |
| FlorinCalifornia, United States | 9 | 44.17 December | 3.0× |
| TorranceCalifornia, United States | 3 | 31.35 December | 2.9× |
| Arden-ArcadeCalifornia, United States | 4 | 31.47 December | 2.9× |
| CarsonCalifornia, United States | 3 | 34.35 December | 2.8× |
| StocktonCalifornia, United States | 3 | 39.04 December | 2.7× |
| El CajonCalifornia, United States | 1 | 26.25 December | 2.7× |
| Imperial BeachCalifornia, United States | 2 | 45.46 December | 2.7× |
| RosevilleCalifornia, United States | 1 | 26.31 December | 2.7× |
| MedfordOregon, United States | 2 | 30.84 December | 2.7× |
| ModestoCalifornia, United States | 4 | 38.84 December | 2.6× |
| Long BeachCalifornia, United States | 3 | 33.25 December | 2.6× |
| AltamontOregon, United States | 1 | 25.07 December | 2.6× |
| HawthorneCalifornia, United States | 3 | 32.56 December | 2.3× |
| ComptonCalifornia, United States | 1 | 36.75 December | 2.2× |
| CalexicoCalifornia, United States | 1 | 27.74 December | 2.2× |
Daily means in µg/m³. Usual: the city's median for this time of year (its days within 21 days of the date, every year, leaving out the week around it). Above usual: its highest day against that.
Against other episodes in the United States
Number 16 of 131 episodes in the United States since our records began, by cities reached.
- North-eastern United States and Canada, June and July 2023280
- North-eastern United States and Canada, July 2026264
- North-eastern United States and Canada, May and June 2023261
- North-eastern United States and Canada, July and August 2025241
- North-eastern United States and Canada, July 2023240
- North-eastern United States and Canada, June 2025196
- North-eastern United States and Canada, June 2023161
- North-eastern United States and Canada, July 2025119
- North-western United States and Canada, August 2023110
- North-eastern United States, June 2025104
- North-western United States and Canada, August 202699
- North-eastern United States and Canada, February 202696
- California, United States, December 202461
Bars: cities reached; colour: the level of the episode's highest daily reading. All 131.
Use this page
SmogRank, California, United States, December 2024: 61 cities with PM2.5 at twice their usual or more, 1 to 11 December 2024, smogrank.com/episodes/2024-12-california-united-states (accessed 3 October 2026).
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.