Out of 67 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 67 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 17/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 334 |
Top 67 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobile | Alabama | 38/100 | 2 | 60 |
| 2 | Calhoun | Alabama | 25/100 | 7 | 15 |
| 3 | Washington | Alabama | 25/100 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Talladega | Alabama | 24/100 | 35 | 11 |
| 5 | Cleburne | Alabama | 24/100 | 33 | 5 |
| 6 | Cherokee | Alabama | 24/100 | 13 | 4 |
| 7 | Clay | Alabama | 23/100 | 27 | 6 |
| 8 | Winston | Alabama | 23/100 | 12 | 7 |
| 9 | Covington | Alabama | 23/100 | 11 | 10 |
| 10 | Tallapoosa | Alabama | 23/100 | 6 | 8 |
| 11 | Baldwin | Alabama | 23/100 | 2 | 26 |
| 12 | Franklin | Alabama | 23/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 13 | DeKalb | Alabama | 21/100 | 13 | 15 |
| 14 | Chilton | Alabama | 21/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 15 | Walker | Alabama | 21/100 | 0 | 20 |
| 16 | Colbert | Alabama | 20/100 | 18 | 9 |
| 17 | Lawrence | Alabama | 20/100 | 18 | 3 |
| 18 | Escambia | Alabama | 20/100 | 4 | 8 |
| 19 | Perry | Alabama | 19/100 | 18 | 3 |
| 20 | Bibb | Alabama | 19/100 | 12 | 9 |
| 21 | Coosa | Alabama | 19/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 22 | Etowah | Alabama | 19/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 23 | Randolph | Alabama | 19/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 24 | Morgan | Alabama | 18/100 | 18 | 11 |
| 25 | Shelby | Alabama | 18/100 | 12 | 20 |
| 26 | Marion | Alabama | 18/100 | 12 | 9 |
| 27 | Chambers | Alabama | 18/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 28 | Conecuh | Alabama | 18/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 29 | Cullman | Alabama | 17/100 | 12 | 12 |
| 30 | Hale | Alabama | 17/100 | 3 | 5 |
| 31 | St. Clair | Alabama | 17/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 32 | Tuscaloosa | Alabama | 17/100 | 0 | 26 |
| 33 | Dallas | Alabama | 17/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 34 | Jackson | Alabama | 16/100 | 7 | 18 |
| 35 | Lauderdale | Alabama | 16/100 | 1 | 11 |
| 36 | Marshall | Alabama | 15/100 | 7 | 10 |
| 37 | Elmore | Alabama | 15/100 | 5 | 11 |
| 38 | Macon | Alabama | 15/100 | 5 | 5 |
| 39 | Jefferson | Alabama | 15/100 | 2 | 87 |
| 40 | Autauga | Alabama | 15/100 | 1 | 9 |
| 41 | Blount | Alabama | 15/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 42 | Fayette | Alabama | 15/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 43 | Monroe | Alabama | 14/100 | 2 | 16 |
| 44 | Limestone | Alabama | 14/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 45 | Clarke | Alabama | 14/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 46 | Choctaw | Alabama | 14/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 47 | Marengo | Alabama | 13/100 | 2 | 12 |
| 48 | Coffee | Alabama | 13/100 | 1 | 7 |
| 49 | Geneva | Alabama | 13/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 50 | Lee | Alabama | 13/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 51 | Bullock | Alabama | 12/100 | 5 | 7 |
| 52 | Greene | Alabama | 12/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 53 | Pickens | Alabama | 12/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 54 | Lamar | Alabama | 12/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 55 | Madison | Alabama | 12/100 | 0 | 41 |
| 56 | Crenshaw | Alabama | 12/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 57 | Butler | Alabama | 12/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 58 | Wilcox | Alabama | 12/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 59 | Lowndes | Alabama | 12/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 60 | Montgomery | Alabama | 12/100 | 0 | 41 |
| 61 | Russell | Alabama | 11/100 | 2 | 10 |
| 62 | Sumter | Alabama | 11/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 63 | Dale | Alabama | 11/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 64 | Pike | Alabama | 10/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 65 | Houston | Alabama | 9/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 66 | Barbour | Alabama | 6/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 67 | Henry | Alabama | 6/100 | 0 | 6 |
Methodology
County rankings for Alabama based on average smoke risk score and fire frequency.
Data sources: National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), EPA AirNow. Last updated: 2026-06-04.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is wildfire smoke risk calculated?
Smoke risk scores (0-100) combine multiple factors: proximity to recent wildfires, county fire frequency over the past 5 years, historical smoke days, and geographic position relative to typical fire corridors. Higher scores indicate greater smoke exposure risk during fire season.
How can I protect myself from wildfire smoke?
Use a HEPA air purifier indoors, wear N95 or KN95 masks outdoors during smoke events, seal windows and doors, and monitor AirNow.gov for real-time air quality. Create a clean room in your home with the purifier running and windows sealed.