SmogRank / Episodes / Brazil

Southern Brazil, July 2025

For 3 days, from 15 to 17 July 2025, 11 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: 44.7 µg/m³ on 16 July, about 2.0× its usual 21.9. Ended 17 July.

Likely smoke from firesFires were detected within 300 km of the city on 48% of the counted city-days. Satellites see crop, field and forest fires alike, so this doesn't say which burned.
Cities reached11in 1 country
Days315 to 17 July 2025
Worst day16 July8 cities counted
Furthest above usual3.6×Rio de Janeiro

Day by day

16 July 8 cities at twice their usual or more
SantosCubatãoSão PauloParanaguáSão José dos CamposTaubatéCampinasPaulíniaPiracicabaLimeiraPonta GrossaBauruRio ClaroSanto AndréCuritibaAraucáriaJundiaíFerraz de VasconcelosTubarãoItaquaquecetubaDuque de CaxiasColomboRio de Janeiro

No fire and smoke map for this day.

12 Jul1314151617181920
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 5 of the 9 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

ColomboColombo, 12 July: 20.0 µg/m³Colombo, 13 July: 18.7 µg/m³Colombo, 14 July: 21.6 µg/m³Colombo, 15 July: 38.4 µg/m³, 2.5× its usual 15.5Colombo, 16 July: 43.6 µg/m³, 3.0× its usual 14.3Colombo, 17 July: 42.8 µg/m³, 3.0× its usual 14.3Colombo, 18 July: 16.1 µg/m³Colombo, 19 July: 32.1 µg/m³Colombo, 20 July: 15.8 µg/m³ItaquaquecetubaItaquaquecetuba, 12 July: 18.3 µg/m³Itaquaquecetuba, 13 July: 16.7 µg/m³Itaquaquecetuba, 14 July: 20.9 µg/m³Itaquaquecetuba, 15 July: 37.2 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 15.9Itaquaquecetuba, 16 July: 38.1 µg/m³, 2.4× its usual 15.9Itaquaquecetuba, 17 July: 35.9 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 15.9Itaquaquecetuba, 18 July: 31.6 µg/m³Itaquaquecetuba, 19 July: 24.5 µg/m³Itaquaquecetuba, 20 July: 12.5 µg/m³JundiaíJundiaí, 12 July: 22.0 µg/m³Jundiaí, 13 July: 12.8 µg/m³Jundiaí, 14 July: 17.2 µg/m³Jundiaí, 15 July: 36.3 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 15.9Jundiaí, 16 July: 29.1 µg/m³Jundiaí, 17 July: 32.2 µg/m³, 2.0× its usual 15.8Jundiaí, 18 July: 32.4 µg/m³Jundiaí, 19 July: 11.8 µg/m³Jundiaí, 20 July: 18.6 µg/m³AraucáriaAraucária, 12 July: 23.7 µg/m³Araucária, 13 July: 19.8 µg/m³Araucária, 14 July: 25.4 µg/m³Araucária, 15 July: 30.4 µg/m³, 2.0× its usual 15.2Araucária, 16 July: 35.1 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 15.2Araucária, 17 July: 26.2 µg/m³Araucária, 18 July: 12.6 µg/m³Araucária, 19 July: 22.3 µg/m³Araucária, 20 July: 19.6 µg/m³TubarãoTubarão, 12 July: 25.4 µg/m³Tubarão, 13 July: 20.8 µg/m³Tubarão, 14 July: 27.4 µg/m³Tubarão, 15 July: 28.0 µg/m³, 2.4× its usual 11.9Tubarão, 16 July: 20.0 µg/m³Tubarão, 17 July: 14.8 µg/m³Tubarão, 18 July: 9.8 µg/m³Tubarão, 19 July: 13.4 µg/m³Tubarão, 20 July: 15.6 µg/m³Rio ClaroRio Claro, 12 July: 25.4 µg/m³Rio Claro, 13 July: 20.1 µg/m³Rio Claro, 14 July: 24.6 µg/m³Rio Claro, 15 July: 36.8 µg/m³Rio Claro, 16 July: 44.7 µg/m³, 2.0× its usual 21.9Rio Claro, 17 July: 36.3 µg/m³Rio Claro, 18 July: 27.0 µg/m³Rio Claro, 19 July: 18.5 µg/m³Rio Claro, 20 July: 22.2 µg/m³Ferraz de Vasconcel…Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 12 July: 18.1 µg/m³Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 13 July: 15.6 µg/m³Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 14 July: 25.3 µg/m³Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 15 July: 31.1 µg/m³Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 16 July: 43.7 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 18.9Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 17 July: 43.3 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 19.2Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 18 July: 34.8 µg/m³Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 19 July: 28.0 µg/m³Ferraz de Vasconcelos, 20 July: 17.9 µg/m³Santo AndréSanto André, 12 July: 18.7 µg/m³Santo André, 13 July: 12.9 µg/m³Santo André, 14 July: 22.0 µg/m³Santo André, 15 July: 31.4 µg/m³Santo André, 16 July: 38.2 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 18.6Santo André, 17 July: 38.3 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 18.1Santo André, 18 July: no readingSanto André, 19 July: 21.4 µg/m³Santo André, 20 July: 9.8 µg/m³CuritibaCuritiba, 12 July: 18.8 µg/m³Curitiba, 13 July: 13.8 µg/m³Curitiba, 14 July: 17.0 µg/m³Curitiba, 15 July: 19.1 µg/m³Curitiba, 16 July: 32.1 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 14.1Curitiba, 17 July: 28.4 µg/m³, 2.0× its usual 14.2Curitiba, 18 July: 11.2 µg/m³Curitiba, 19 July: 21.5 µg/m³Curitiba, 20 July: 13.0 µg/m³Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, 12 July: 7.7 µg/m³Rio de Janeiro, 13 July: 20.4 µg/m³Rio de Janeiro, 14 July: 10.3 µg/m³Rio de Janeiro, 15 July: 14.4 µg/m³Rio de Janeiro, 16 July: 25.0 µg/m³, 2.5× its usual 10.1Rio de Janeiro, 17 July: 37.3 µg/m³, 3.6× its usual 10.3Rio de Janeiro, 18 July: 26.7 µg/m³Rio de Janeiro, 19 July: 3.8 µg/m³Rio de Janeiro, 20 July: 22.7 µg/m³Duque de CaxiasDuque de Caxias, 12 July: 8.4 µg/m³Duque de Caxias, 13 July: 19.0 µg/m³Duque de Caxias, 14 July: no readingDuque de Caxias, 15 July: no readingDuque de Caxias, 16 July: 24.9 µg/m³Duque de Caxias, 17 July: 38.2 µg/m³, 2.6× its usual 14.7Duque de Caxias, 18 July: 25.3 µg/m³Duque de Caxias, 19 July: 4.4 µg/m³Duque de Caxias, 20 July: 20.7 µg/m³12 Jul1314151617181920
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
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil2 37.317 July10.33.6×
ColomboParaná, Brazil3 43.616 July14.33.0×
Duque de CaxiasRio de Janeiro, Brazil1 38.217 July14.72.6×
ItaquaquecetubaSão Paulo, Brazil3 38.116 July15.92.4×
TubarãoSanta Catarina, Brazil1 28.015 July11.92.4×
Ferraz de VasconcelosSão Paulo, Brazil2 43.716 July18.92.3×
JundiaíSão Paulo, Brazil2 36.315 July15.92.3×
AraucáriaParaná, Brazil2 35.116 July15.22.3×
CuritibaParaná, Brazil2 32.116 July14.12.3×
Santo AndréSão Paulo, Brazil2 38.317 July18.12.1×
Rio ClaroSão Paulo, Brazil1 44.716 July21.92.0×

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 8 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, Southern Brazil, July 2025: 11 cities with PM2.5 at twice their usual or more, 15 to 17 July 2025, smogrank.com/episodes/2025-07-southern-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 2025. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.