SmogRank / Episodes / United States
North-western United States and Canada, August and September 2025
For 8 days, from 31 August to 7 September 2025, 94 cities in the United States and Canada had PM2.5 at least twice their usual for the time of year. The worst reading was Squamish, British Columbia, Canada: 173.0 µg/m³ on 3 September, about 25× its usual 7.0. Ended 7 September.
Day by day
How it spread
Every city it reached
| City | Days | Highest | Above usual |
|---|---|---|---|
| SquamishBritish Columbia, Canada | 3 | 173.03 September | 25× |
| Fort St. JohnBritish Columbia, Canada | 3 | 140.01 September | 23× |
| Grande PrairieAlberta, Canada | 4 | 166.01 September | 20× |
| West VancouverBritish Columbia, Canada | 2 | 87.23 September | 17× |
| Sherwood ParkAlberta, Canada | 5 | 126.01 September | 16× |
| St. AlbertAlberta, Canada | 5 | 126.01 September | 15× |
| Fort SaskatchewanAlberta, Canada | 5 | 135.01 September | 14× |
| EdmontonAlberta, Canada | 5 | 140.01 September | 12× |
| HopeBritish Columbia, Canada | 3 | 69.15 September | 12× |
| WhistlerBritish Columbia, Canada | 3 | 56.35 September | 11× |
| YrekaCalifornia, United States | 3 | 56.06 September | 11× |
| WenatcheeWashington, United States | 2 | 58.25 September | 11× |
| PrinevilleOregon, United States | 1 | 55.55 September | 11× |
| EdsonAlberta, Canada | 4 | 71.12 September | 10× |
| CalgaryAlberta, Canada | 4 | 100.32 September | 9.9× |
| Grants PassOregon, United States | 3 | 47.36 September | 9.5× |
| YakimaWashington, United States | 2 | 58.04 September | 9.4× |
| LethbridgeAlberta, Canada | 4 | 72.82 September | 9.2× |
| EphrataWashington, United States | 2 | 53.95 September | 8.4× |
| AshlandOregon, United States | 2 | 39.56 September | 7.9× |
| KirklandWashington, United States | 2 | 38.85 September | 7.8× |
| GibsonsBritish Columbia, Canada | 3 | 48.73 September | 7.6× |
| EllensburgWashington, United States | 1 | 40.15 September | 7.6× |
| Inglewood-Finn HillWashington, United States | 2 | 37.55 September | 7.5× |
| CoquitlamBritish Columbia, Canada | 1 | 40.13 September | 7.4× |
| SmithersBritish Columbia, Canada | 3 | 36.65 September | 7.3× |
| Drayton ValleyAlberta, Canada | 3 | 57.21 September | 7.1× |
| Williams LakeBritish Columbia, Canada | 3 | 35.74 September | 7.1× |
| Tri-CitiesWashington, United States | 1 | 34.85 September | 7.0× |
| Fort McMurrayAlberta, Canada | 4 | 96.331 August | 6.9× |
| BurnabyBritish Columbia, Canada | 1 | 37.53 September | 6.9× |
| MeadWashington, United States | 3 | 37.35 September | 6.9× |
| North VancouverBritish Columbia, Canada | 1 | 35.13 September | 6.9× |
| TalentOregon, United States | 1 | 34.56 September | 6.9× |
| Prince GeorgeBritish Columbia, Canada | 5 | 64.25 September | 6.7× |
| Medicine HatAlberta, Canada | 3 | 48.02 September | 6.7× |
| QuincyWashington, United States | 1 | 37.55 September | 6.6× |
| Swift CurrentSaskatchewan, Canada | 3 | 53.42 September | 6.5× |
| ToppenishWashington, United States | 3 | 48.25 September | 6.4× |
| Strawberry HillBritish Columbia, Canada | 1 | 34.83 September | 6.4× |
| VancouverBritish Columbia, Canada | 1 | 34.53 September | 6.4× |
| MissionBritish Columbia, Canada | 3 | 32.33 September | 6.3× |
| Red DeerAlberta, Canada | 4 | 58.62 September | 6.2× |
| Spokane ValleyWashington, United States | 3 | 37.25 September | 6.1× |
| GlendiveMontana, United States | 1 | 32.72 September | 6.1× |
| Port CoquitlamBritish Columbia, Canada | 1 | 31.03 September | 6.1× |
| Grand CentreAlberta, Canada | 4 | 56.52 September | 6.0× |
| ShorelineWashington, United States | 1 | 33.75 September | 6.0× |
| MedfordOregon, United States | 3 | 32.06 September | 6.0× |
| Idaho FallsIdaho, United States | 1 | 29.35 September | 5.9× |
| AgassizBritish Columbia, Canada | 3 | 37.04 September | 5.8× |
| CastlegarBritish Columbia, Canada | 1 | 44.25 September | 5.7× |
| SpokaneWashington, United States | 3 | 37.75 September | 5.7× |
| BoiseIdaho, United States | 1 | 29.85 September | 5.7× |
| PullmanWashington, United States | 1 | 34.25 September | 5.6× |
| KelownaBritish Columbia, Canada | 1 | 42.75 September | 5.4× |
| Coeur d'AleneIdaho, United States | 2 | 37.75 September | 5.4× |
| Airway HeightsWashington, United States | 2 | 35.95 September | 5.4× |
| OntarioOregon, United States | 1 | 26.95 September | 5.4× |
| AirdrieAlberta, Canada | 1 | 41.94 September | 5.3× |
| ProsserWashington, United States | 2 | 34.25 September | 5.2× |
| HermistonOregon, United States | 1 | 31.45 September | 5.2× |
| HavreMontana, United States | 1 | 26.03 September | 5.2× |
| SaskatoonSaskatchewan, Canada | 2 | 55.31 September | 5.1× |
| VernonBritish Columbia, Canada | 2 | 42.45 September | 5.1× |
| MissoulaMontana, United States | 1 | 27.64 September | 5.1× |
| AbbotsfordBritish Columbia, Canada | 1 | 29.73 September | 5.0× |
| SandpointIdaho, United States | 3 | 38.85 September | 4.9× |
| MeridianIdaho, United States | 1 | 30.15 September | 4.9× |
| MoscowIdaho, United States | 1 | 34.55 September | 4.7× |
| ChilliwackBritish Columbia, Canada | 3 | 31.33 September | 4.7× |
| BillingsMontana, United States | 2 | 31.13 September | 4.6× |
| LockwoodMontana, United States | 2 | 31.13 September | 4.6× |
| Walla WallaWashington, United States | 1 | 27.15 September | 4.6× |
| CrestonBritish Columbia, Canada | 2 | 26.74 September | 4.5× |
| BozemanMontana, United States | 1 | 26.24 September | 4.5× |
| LewistownMontana, United States | 2 | 27.24 September | 4.4× |
| NampaIdaho, United States | 1 | 30.55 September | 4.3× |
| RexburgIdaho, United States | 1 | 29.75 September | 4.2× |
| LewistonIdaho, United States | 1 | 35.15 September | 4.1× |
| Baker CityOregon, United States | 1 | 27.05 September | 4.0× |
| Moses LakeWashington, United States | 2 | 26.54 September | 4.0× |
| QuesnelBritish Columbia, Canada | 4 | 35.73 September | 3.9× |
| Columbia FallsMontana, United States | 3 | 27.95 September | 3.9× |
| CranbrookBritish Columbia, Canada | 2 | 25.55 September | 3.8× |
| HelenaMontana, United States | 2 | 27.94 September | 3.6× |
| Helena Valley West CentralMontana, United States | 2 | 27.94 September | 3.6× |
| KamloopsBritish Columbia, Canada | 2 | 33.34 September | 3.5× |
| Prince AlbertSaskatchewan, Canada | 1 | 38.81 September | 3.4× |
| ReginaSaskatchewan, Canada | 1 | 33.92 September | 3.3× |
| SunnysideWashington, United States | 1 | 25.93 September | 3.3× |
| WeiserIdaho, United States | 1 | 26.35 September | 2.9× |
| Great FallsMontana, United States | 2 | 33.03 September | 2.8× |
| EstevanSaskatchewan, Canada | 1 | 26.62 September | 2.4× |
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 the United States and Canada
Number 15 of 173 episodes in the United States and Canada since our records began, by cities reached.
- Eastern United States and Canada, June and July 2023343
- Northern United States and Canada, July 2026327
- United States and Canada, July 2023322
- Eastern United States and Canada, May and June 2023317
- North-eastern United States and Canada, 29 July to 9 August 2025292
- Northern United States and Canada, May and June 2025247
- United States and Canada, June 2023195
- North-western United States and Canada, August 2023176
- North-western United States and Canada, 4 to 22 August 2026151
- Northern United States and Canada, July 2025139
- Northern United States and Canada, June 2025134
- North-western United States and Canada, July and August 2026118
- North-western United States and Canada, August and September 202594
Bars: cities reached; colour: the level of the episode's highest daily reading. All 173.
Use this page
SmogRank, North-western United States and Canada, August and September 2025: 94 cities with PM2.5 at twice their usual or more, 31 August to 7 September 2025, smogrank.com/episodes/2025-08-north-western-united-states-and-canada (accessed 5 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. Fire detections from NASA FIRMS; smoke maps from NOAA HMS.