HamariHawa

Chennai's air today: where the smoke is coming from

Chennai's smoke report

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Right now the wind over Chennai blows from the south-west at 19 km/h (weather model, 30 October, 08:15 IST). In the 24 hours to 30 October, 04:18 IST NASA's satellites saw 11 fires within 250 km upwind of Chennai, in the direction the wind is coming from, out of 29 within 250 km in every direction. The largest numbers were in Chengalpattu district and Kallakurichi district. About 64% were on farmland, the pattern of crop-residue burning.

#3 of 58industrial areas within 50 km#2 of 35fossil-fuel power plants within 50 km#6 of 34landfill methane measured within 50 km#12 of 58NO₂ over the city (traffic, industry, power plants), last 14 days

Ranks among the cities with pages here that have any of each: #1 has the most.

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Map of the fires around the city, last 24 hours

Each dot is one fire a NASA satellite saw. Red dots are upwind, in the direction the wind is coming from, so their smoke is the likeliest to be reaching the city now; grey dots are in other directions. The moving lines show the wind blowing towards the city. Tap a dot for the village and the time.

north: 99north-east: 00east: 00south-east: 00south: 00south-west: 1111west: 22north-west: 77NESW

Fires within 250 km in the last 24 hours, by direction. Red: the side the wind is coming from (the south-west). Tap a direction to pick out its fires on the map.

What satellites see around Chennai

What satellites and surveys see around the city. Each is a different measure, so they can't be added up into shares of the air.

Fires570fire spots within 250 km in the last 29 days#51 of 58 citiesNO₂: traffic and industry2.7×times the region's usual NO₂, last 14 days#12 of 58 citiesLandfills4,053kg of methane an hour measured from 3 landfills#5 of 58 measured landfillsPower plants and industry8fossil-fuel power plants within 50 km, and 645 industrial areas#2 of 35 cities

Fires around Chennai in the last 30 days

The busiest of the last 29 days was 11 October, with 50 fire spots within 250 km, 15 of them within 50 km.

30 September: no data30 September1 October: 15 · 22 October: 48 · 93 October: 45 · 144 October: 40 · 75 October: 40 · 166 October: 35 · 77 October: 34 · 88 October: 45 · 119 October: 28 · 610 October: 38 · 1011 October: 50 · 1512 October: 43 · 1013 October: 22 · 514 October: 15 · 615 October: 9 · 615 October16 October: 4 · 117 October: 0 · 018 October: 1 · 119 October: 2 · 120 October: 9 · 821 October: 1 · 022 October: 0 · 023 October: 0 · 024 October: 0 · 025 October: 0 · 026 October: 2 · 027 October: 4 · 228 October: 11 · 329 October: 29 · 929 October50

within 250 km   within 50 km

570fire spots within 250 km in the last 29 days
157of them within 50 km
34%of the last 7 days' fires within 250 km were on farmland, the pattern of crop-residue burning

A fire spot is one fire seen on a day, however many satellites saw it (Pakistan-time days). The archive runs every day from 1 October 2026; before that it holds only the October-November seasons.

NO₂ pollution in Chennai: traffic, industry and power plants

Over the last 14 days the air over Chennai held 2.7 times the region's usual level of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), #12 of 58 cities.

1×30 September: 2.67×1 October: 2.68×2 October: 2.65×5 October: 2.54×8 October: 2.52×11 October: 2.49×13 October: 2.56×16 October: 2.48×19 October: 2.77×22 October: 3.09×25 October: 2.94×27 October: 2.59×28 October: 2.7×30 September28 October

The strongest NO₂ peak within 35 km was 3.29 times the usual level, in the city itself, the pattern of a city's traffic.

From Sentinel-5P's TROPOMI instrument via NASA's GIBS tiles, which publish NO₂ as colour bands: a level here is good to about one band. NO₂ in big cities comes mostly from vehicle engines; peaks are named after what is nearby, which suggests a source but doesn't measure one. NO₂ window 15 October to 28 October 2026.

Landfills

Satellites and aircraft have measured methane rising from Pallikaranai Dumpyard, 15 km from the centre, 33 times, about 2,064 kg an hour. That puts it #5 of the 58 measured landfills in Pakistan and India.

Pallikaranai Dumpyard from above, 15 km south of the centre
Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics
33methane plumes measured
17 September 2026last measured
19landfills and dump sites mapped within 50 km

Rank among the 58 landfill records with a measured rate in Carbon Mapper's data for Pakistan and India (this extract covers only these two countries). Rates are Carbon Mapper's automatic per-plume estimates; landfill methane also carries the smell and smoke of burning rubbish.

Power plants and industry

8 fossil-fuel power plants and 645 industrial areas lie within 50 km of Chennai. Carbon Mapper has measured CO₂ plumes from 2 plants here, about 2,934 tonnes an hour. The largest, North Chennai Thermal Station, can generate 1,830 MW.

North Chennai Thermal Station from above, 19 km north of the centre
Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics
North Chennai Thermal Station coal, 19 km1,830 MW
Vallur Thermal Power Station coal, 18 km1,500 MW
Ennore Thermal Power Station coal, 14 km450 MW
Basin Bridge Gas Turbine Power Station oil, 2 km120 MW

4 always-hot sites that NASA's satellites saw burning on 20 or more days in 2025: Tiruvottiyur (29), SIPCOT Gummidipundi (28), Tiruvottiyur (20)

Within 50 km of the city centre, on either side of the border. These are lists of what is there, not measures of how much each adds to the air.

Every mapped source within 50 km of Chennai

Tap a layer to hide it, or a site for its name.

Brick-kiln surveys, OpenStreetMap, Carbon Mapper and NASA FIRMS, on either side of the border. These map what is there, not how much each adds to the air. /sites/ · Site lists built 26 October 2026.

Fires around Chennai this season compared with past years

Fire spots within 250 km of Chennai from 1 October to 29 October, each year. These count Suomi NPP alone, so every year is measured by the same instrument and the years compare fairly (the 30-day chart above counts all five satellites, three VIIRS and two MODIS, so its numbers are higher).

2019: 838320192020: 494920202021: 878720212022: 12612620222023: 24624620232024: 12312320242025: 575720252026: 197197*2026 (so far)

* 2026: 1 day without Suomi NPP data: a floor

Chennai against the other cities

Each strip holds the cities with pages here that have any of it, the most on the left; the red mark is Chennai. They are different measures, so a high rank on one isn't a larger share of the air than a high rank on another.

Fire spots within 250 km, last 24 hours (29)#38 of 57
Fire spots within 250 km, last 30 days (570)#51 of 58
NO₂, times the usual level (14 days) (2.7×)#12 of 58
Fossil-fuel power plants within 50 km (8)#2 of 35
Landfill methane within 50 km (4,053 kg/h)#6 of 34
Measured plant CO₂ within 50 km (2,934 t/h)#1 of 22
Industrial areas within 50 km (645)#3 of 58
Always-hot sites within 50 km (4)#5 of 23

All the rankings: city rankings

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Pasted into WhatsApp or X, the link shows this map of the fires and the wind, redrawn every few hours.

Chennai: the last 24 hours of fires within 250 km and the wind

Chennai air today: where the smoke is coming from
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All the numbers

Every table behind this page.

Upwind districts, last 24 hours
DistrictProvince or stateCountryDirectionDistanceFires
Chengalpattu districtTamil NaduIndiasouth-west49 km3
Kallakurichi districtTamil NaduIndiasouth-west195 km2
CuddaloreTamil NaduIndiasouth216 km1
AriyalurTamil NaduIndiasouth-west246 km1
VillupuramTamil NaduIndiasouth-west158 km1
KancheepuramTamil NaduIndiasouth-west47 km1
DharmapuriTamil NaduIndiasouth-west228 km1
TiruvannamalaiTamil NaduIndiasouth-west87 km1
Fires within 250 km by direction, last 24 hours
From theFires
north9
north-east0
east0
south-east0
south0
south-west (the wind is coming from here)11
west2
north-west7
Fires within 250 km in the last 7 days
DistrictProvince or stateCountryDistanceFiresOn farmland
ThiruvallurTamil NaduIndia35 km119%
ChennaiTamil NaduIndia9 km90%
Kallakurichi districtTamil NaduIndia192 km580%
NelloreAndhra PradeshIndia211 km540%
AriyalurTamil NaduIndia247 km30%
Chengalpattu districtTamil NaduIndia49 km333%
KrishnagiriTamil NaduIndia222 km367%
TirupatiAndhra PradeshIndia92 km250%
CuddaloreTamil NaduIndia214 km2100%
Sri Sathya SaiAndhra PradeshIndia229 km250%
Fires around Chennai this season compared with past years
SeasonFire spots
201983
202049
202187
2022126
2023246
2024123
202557
2026 (so far)197 (1 day without Suomi NPP data: a floor)
Landfill methane records
SiteMethanePlumes seenLast seenRank
Pallikaranai Dumpyard (Chengalpattu district, India, 15 km)2,064 kg/h3317 September 20265 of 58
Kodungaiyur Corporation Landfill (Chennai, India, 6 km)1,321 kg/h2617 September 20269 of 58
Tirukkachchiyur (Chengalpattu district, India, 45 km)668 kg/h416 March 202626 of 58

Rank among the 58 landfill records with a measured rate in Carbon Mapper's data for Pakistan and India (this extract covers only these two countries). Rates are Carbon Mapper's automatic per-plume estimates; landfill methane also carries the smell and smoke of burning rubbish.

Every measure and rank

Where Chennai stands among the 58 cities with pages here, on each measure. They are different measures, so a high rank on one isn't a larger share of the air than a high rank on another.

MeasureChennaiRank
Fire spots within 250 km, last 30 days57051 of 58
NO₂, times the usual level (14 days)2.7×12 of 58
Landfill methane within 50 km4,053 kg/h6 of 34
Measured plant CO₂ within 50 km2,934 t/h1 of 22
Brick kilns within 50 km––
Industrial areas within 50 km6453 of 58
Always-hot sites within 50 km45 of 23
Ranks on today's fires

Chennai's place among the cities, on the numbers that change with each satellite pass.

  • Fire spots upwind, last 24 hours: 15 of 34
  • Fire spots within 250 km, last 24 hours: 38 of 57
  • Fire spots within 250 km, last 7 days: 54 of 58

All the rankings: city rankings

Questions about Chennai's air

Where is Chennai's smoke coming from today?

Right now the wind over Chennai blows from the south-west at 19 km/h (weather model, 30 October, 08:15 IST). In the 24 hours to 30 October, 04:18 IST NASA's satellites saw 11 fires within 250 km upwind of Chennai, in the direction the wind is coming from, out of 29 within 250 km in every direction. The largest numbers were in Chengalpattu district and Kallakurichi district. About 64% were on farmland, the pattern of crop-residue burning.

Are crop fires burning near Chennai?

In the last 24 hours NASA's satellites saw 29 fire spots within 250 km of Chennai, and 570 in the last 30 days. Satellites only see what is burning as they pass, and not under cloud.

How bad is traffic pollution in Chennai?

Over the 14 days 15 October to 28 October 2026, nitrogen dioxide in the air over Chennai (within 15 km) was about 2.7 times the usual level of the surrounding region, roughly 3.8 ×10¹⁵ molecules/cm². Of the 58 cities with enough clear days, it ranks 12.

Which landfills near Chennai release methane?

Carbon Mapper has measured methane plumes from Pallikaranai Dumpyard (2,064 kg/h), Kodungaiyur Corporation Landfill (1,321 kg/h), Tirukkachchiyur (668 kg/h).

Every number on this page is also in machine-readable form (JSON).

More about Chennai

Nearby cities: Bengaluru (290 km), Vijayawada (383 km), Madurai (422 km), Coimbatore (427 km)

Fires up to 30 October, 04:18 IST. This page updates every 15 minutes. Upwind is a guide, not proof: smoke can travel further than 250 km, the wind turns during the day, and satellites can't see fires under cloud. A fire spot is one fire, about 375 m across, however many satellites saw it. Fires: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS and MODIS). Wind: Open-Meteo's weather model. Air: Copernicus CAMS model estimates, which read low in winter.