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Eugene and Springfield air quality pushed into the upper end of the moderate range late Tuesday, July 21.
Air quality is measured on the Air Quality Index (AQI) scale from 0 to 500, color-coded, with higher numbers indicating worse conditions and dark red signaling hazardous air. Moderate conditions run up to 100, after which air becomes unhealthy for sensitive groups — including people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and pregnant people.
Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA) monitors registered an AQI of 96 in north Eugene and 83 in Springfield as of 7 p.m. Tuesday. Data shows air quality worsening through the afternoon, peaking around 5 p.m., with a slight dip into the evening.
Twenty-six large wildfires are actively burning throughout the state, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry. The fires have become a source of smoke for counties in southern and eastern Oregon, prompting air quality advisories from the Department of Environmental Quality.
LRAPA did not have an advisory in effect for Lane County as of Tuesday. It remains unclear exactly where the haze came from.
Last week, smoke from East Evans Creek — burning about 26 miles north of Medford and more than 15,000 acres in size — began creeping into Lane County. That smoke was high in the atmosphere, posing no serious health threats.
Wildfire smoke has become a major driver of air pollution during the last six years, a period in which Eugene and Springfield have risen in the national rankings for worst air quality, according to the American Lung Association. The association gave Lane County an F grade for particle pollution in its 2026 report.
