# Surface smoke
**URL:** https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817
**Category:** Help
**Created:** [September 11, 2020, 8:11pm UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817 "2020-09-11T20:11:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@GWaters](https://forum.flowx.io/u/GWaters)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 8:11pm UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/1 "2020-09-11T20:11:47Z")
Surface smoke not working today. This is what I was using to monitor the Forest fires to know where to go and not to go in California to stay out of the smoke .
---
### Author:  [@duane](https://forum.flowx.io/u/duane)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/2 "2020-09-11T20:28:48Z")
This is a NOAA product and they are having major server issues. See the forum post on it.
It’s looking like it’s coming back online, hopefully we can get the data in the next hours.
---
### Author:  [@duane](https://forum.flowx.io/u/duane)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/3 "2020-09-11T20:29:52Z")
BTW, you can use the PM2.5 and PM10 data in the new air quality data.
---
### Author:  [@duane](https://forum.flowx.io/u/duane)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 10:18pm UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/4 "2020-09-11T22:18:17Z")
HRRR smoke is back.
Do you use Smoke CS - the HYSPLIT model, or just HRRR?
---
### Author:  [@BrianLY-38](https://forum.flowx.io/u/BrianLY-38)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2020, 2:11am UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/5 "2020-09-12T02:11:31Z")
@GWaters Hello and Welcome to the Forum and Thank You for Using Flowx
---
### Author:  [@GWaters](https://forum.flowx.io/u/GWaters)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2020, 9:29pm UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/6 "2020-09-12T21:29:12Z")
What is the difference between HYSPLIT smoke and HRRR smoke? I am interested in the smoke that I am going to be breathing. Which model should I be looking at?
---
### Author:  [@duane](https://forum.flowx.io/u/duane)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2020, 10:19pm UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/7 "2020-09-12T22:19:22Z")
There are different simulations with different resolutions, time periods and update cycles. I don’t know the finer differences. I think HRRR is better?? I might remove HYSPLIT in the future - it breaks often.
[See Datasources](https://flowx.io/help/datasources/)
---
### Author:  [@GWaters](https://forum.flowx.io/u/GWaters)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2020, 5:18am UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/8 "2020-09-13T05:18:33Z")
Thank You!
Another question: What model should I use to monitor spot fire possibilities in my direction from the fire?
Integrated column smoke:
HRRR shows nothing its a blank
HYSPLIT shows colors
---
### Author:  [@BrianLY-38](https://forum.flowx.io/u/BrianLY-38)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2020, 2:27pm UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/9 "2020-09-13T14:27:01Z")
spot fires are wind blown so 1. watch the wind 2. look outside Sorry @duane no app can tell you chance of spot fires tell its too late. rate of spread also wind dependant along with topography nothing beats your eyes fires if large enough produce their own weather not measured by any app or weather provider. however you can plan ahead of time with the info Flowx provides. (I’m sure this could be worded differently but I have a problem with putting thoughts to words sorry)
---
### Author:  [@GWaters](https://forum.flowx.io/u/GWaters)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2020, 4:59am UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/10 "2020-09-14T04:59:39Z")
Thank you. Keeping an eye on the North Complex fire.
---
### Author:  [@BrianLY-38](https://forum.flowx.io/u/BrianLY-38)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2020, 5:14am UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/11 "2020-09-14T05:14:09Z")
@GWaters don’t get me wrong Flowx gives a ton of Extremely Valuable info that you can use to keep an eye on things just fires are tricky and change quickly.
---
### Author:  [@GWaters](https://forum.flowx.io/u/GWaters)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2020, 5:33am UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/12 "2020-09-14T05:33:28Z")
Yes you are right. I am looking at HYSPLIT column smoke to get an idea of what the upper level air is doing because pretty large embers can get carried up and then dropped out miles away.
---
### Author:  [@duane](https://forum.flowx.io/u/duane)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2020, 5:36am UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/13 "2020-09-14T05:36:10Z")
Thanks @BrianLY-38.
The reality is that I’m not a meteorologist or fire spread expert. I can find data, process it and deliver it via Flowx. The nitty-gritty details is beyond my skills and time to grasp.
For example, I found this data that predicts rain from satellite cloud images - which looks very cool. I don’t know the details of how it works but I can process the data and deliver it via Flowx.
Additionally, we don’t get all this valuable data where I live so it’s difficult for me to relate predictions to real life.
Essentially, I’m the messenger, it’s up to you to interpret the message to your value. But you know I will do my best to deliver the message 🙂
---
### Author:  [@duane](https://forum.flowx.io/u/duane)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2020, 5:37am UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/14 "2020-09-14T05:37:46Z")
There are some bug in the processing of the smoke data. Some of it is experimental so it might’ve changed. I’ll look into it.
Also, I would like to make a submenu for smoke instead of filling your menu with many icons.
Cheers, Duane.
---
### Author:  [@duane](https://forum.flowx.io/u/duane)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2020, 5:38am UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/15 "2020-09-14T05:38:37Z")
This is the kind of discussion I like to see here. I learn something from people using Flowx.
---
### Author:  [@GWaters](https://forum.flowx.io/u/GWaters)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2020, 8:06am UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/16 "2020-09-14T08:06:43Z")
Thank you. I am a retired Civil Engineer and have fought 23 wildland fires in California while I was in college. I took alot of fire science classes because I wanted to know what the fire was doing. Almost got burned up 3 days in a row on one fire because back in those days we did not have data and very limited communication. There was no way to know what the fire was doing beyond ourlimitedbe.
---
### Author:  [@GWaters](https://forum.flowx.io/u/GWaters)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2020, 8:07am UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/17 "2020-09-14T08:07:39Z")
So I really appreciate your work in putting the data together!
---
### Author:  [@GWaters](https://forum.flowx.io/u/GWaters)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2020, 8:18am UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/18 "2020-09-14T08:18:06Z")
You are right, one of the biggest factors for fires is the wind.
There are different kinds of wind that that must be taken into account: the prevailing wind, diurnal winds, which are surface winds and play the biggest part in small fires. When the fires become large they create their own winds. The upper atmospheric begin to come into play which can be quite different from the surface winds. All of these winds must be considered when looking at fire behavior.
---
### Author:  [@BrianLY-38](https://forum.flowx.io/u/BrianLY-38)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/19 "2020-09-14T19:51:01Z")
@duane as Always You are Doing an Amazing Job Like I mentioned above Flowx Provides So much Valuable Information. I’m am Definitely a Flowx Fan/User for Life and @GWaters I was a FirefighterEMT for 13yrs 10 in Cali and 3 here in Nevada 👍👍
---
### Author:  [@BrianLY-38](https://forum.flowx.io/u/BrianLY-38)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2020, 7:59pm UTC](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817/20 "2020-09-14T19:59:53Z")
here is what it looks like Today 12pm 9/14/2020
[Next page](https://forum.flowx.io/t/surface-smoke/817.md?page=2)