FORECAST SUMMARY: Friday February 27th, 2026, through Monday March 2nd, 2026
PM-2.5:
PM-2.5 concentrations are expected to be in the Good (Green AQI) to Moderate (Yellow AQI) range.
FORECAST DISCUSSION:
Meteorological spring is upon us this upcoming Sunday, March 1st, with Old Man Winter holding onto our temperatures for much of the weekend. We start off today, Friday, with above normal temperatures and ample sunshine with surface temperatures ranging from the upper-40s to mid-50s across the state. Southwesterly flow will be felt throughout the region with warmer air being brought in with gusty conditions throughout the afternoon. Come Saturday, however, a cold front moves in from the north which will slowly overtake the entire state and shift winds back to northerly flow, thus dropping temperatures down to near seasonal norms. With the cold front, a round of snow showers is expected Saturday night into Sunday with only minimal impacts. The cooler trend continues into Sunday with temperatures just below seasonal norms in the mid to upper 20s, but sunshine is expected due to High-pressure returning after the frontal boundary on Saturday exits the region. Clear skies hang around into Monday with slight temperature improvements into the 30s.
Warmer temperatures and southerly flow today will increase PM-2.5 concentrations into the mid-Moderate range due to a somewhat weak atmospheric inversion during the morning hours. With the winds Friday afternoon, however, the inversion will not last and concentrations will be able to disperse with the breezy conditions. Once the cooler conditions return on Saturday and Sunday, PM-2.5 concentrations are expected to drop back into the Good range. Ozone season officially starts on Sunday, March 1st which will bring back the Ozone part of this forecast, although we typically do not start seeing Ozone increase until the April timeframe.
EXTENDED FORECAST:
A warming trend is on the horizon for mid-next week and so on, air quality will remain in the Good to Moderate range.
Next Forecast update: Monday March 2nd, 2026