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Air quality · Ontario, Canada

Ottawa Air Quality Index (AQI) today

Modelled estimate for 07:00 local time (UTC-5), refreshed 3 Nov, 07:52 UTC+0.

55 Moderate

Live estimate · modelled

US EPA AQI07:00 UTC-5, 3 Nov Main pollutant: PM2.5

Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.

This page uses EPA’s NowCast, which follows the last few hours, as the US government’s AirNow does. On a 24-hour average of particles, as many apps show, it is 33.

Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 29 around 18:00 to 59 around 11:00 (3 Nov).

582nd most polluted of 849 cities worldwide right now, 4th of 8 in Canada.

What to do today

  • Long walk or run outside OK, lighter if very sensitive
  • Kids playing outside OK
  • Airing the house Open
  • Mask outdoors Not needed

Based on the US EPA’s health statement: “Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.” General guidance, not medical advice.

Last 24 hours and next 48

Past hours Forecast

08:00 · 22 09:00 · 21 10:00 · 21 11:00 · 21 12:00 · 21 13:00 · 22 14:00 · 23 15:00 · 23 16:00 · 24 17:00 · 24 18:00 · 28 19:00 · 31 20:00 · 33 21:00 · 34 22:00 · 36 23:00 · 37 00:00 · 39 01:00 · 41 02:00 · 43 03:00 · 46 04:00 · 48 05:00 · 52 06:00 · 53 07:00 · 55 08:00 · 57 09:00 · 58 10:00 · 58 11:00 · 59 12:00 · 58 13:00 · 56 14:00 · 54 15:00 · 47 16:00 · 37 17:00 · 31 18:00 · 29 19:00 · 29 20:00 · 32 21:00 · 33 22:00 · 36 23:00 · 37 00:00 · 37 01:00 · 36 02:00 · 34 03:00 · 34 04:00 · 34 05:00 · 34 06:00 · 34 07:00 · 36 08:00 · 37 09:00 · 39 10:00 · 40 11:00 · 41 12:00 · 42 13:00 · 43 14:00 · 44 15:00 · 45 16:00 · 47 17:00 · 49 18:00 · 49 19:00 · 50 20:00 · 51 21:00 · 52 22:00 · 52 23:00 · 51 00:00 · 49 01:00 · 45 02:00 · 41 Now

US EPA AQI per hour, UTC-5. Particles use EPA’s NowCast (a 12-hour weighted average), ozone and CO an 8-hour average. Lighter bars are the CAMS forecast.

Show as a table
TimeAQI
Mon 08:0022
Mon 09:0021
Mon 10:0021
Mon 11:0021
Mon 12:0021
Mon 13:0022
Mon 14:0023
Mon 15:0023
Mon 16:0024
Mon 17:0024
Mon 18:0028
Mon 19:0031
Mon 20:0033
Mon 21:0034
Mon 22:0036
Mon 23:0037
Tue 00:0039
Tue 01:0041
Tue 02:0043
Tue 03:0046
Tue 04:0048
Tue 05:0052
Tue 06:0053
Tue 07:00 · Now55
Tue 08:00 · Forecast57
Tue 09:00 · Forecast58
Tue 10:00 · Forecast58
Tue 11:00 · Forecast59
Tue 12:00 · Forecast58
Tue 13:00 · Forecast56
Tue 14:00 · Forecast54
Tue 15:00 · Forecast47
Tue 16:00 · Forecast37
Tue 17:00 · Forecast31
Tue 18:00 · Forecast29
Tue 19:00 · Forecast29
Tue 20:00 · Forecast32
Tue 21:00 · Forecast33
Tue 22:00 · Forecast36
Tue 23:00 · Forecast37
Wed 00:00 · Forecast37
Wed 01:00 · Forecast36
Wed 02:00 · Forecast34
Wed 03:00 · Forecast34
Wed 04:00 · Forecast34
Wed 05:00 · Forecast34
Wed 06:00 · Forecast34
Wed 07:00 · Forecast36
Wed 08:00 · Forecast37
Wed 09:00 · Forecast39
Wed 10:00 · Forecast40
Wed 11:00 · Forecast41
Wed 12:00 · Forecast42
Wed 13:00 · Forecast43
Wed 14:00 · Forecast44
Wed 15:00 · Forecast45
Wed 16:00 · Forecast47
Wed 17:00 · Forecast49
Wed 18:00 · Forecast49
Wed 19:00 · Forecast50
Wed 20:00 · Forecast51
Wed 21:00 · Forecast52
Wed 22:00 · Forecast52
Wed 23:00 · Forecast51
Thu 00:00 · Forecast49
Thu 01:00 · Forecast45
Thu 02:00 · Forecast41

Pollutants this hour

  • PM2.5 12.0 µg/m³ 24-hour mean 6.0 µg/m³ · within WHO’s 24-hour guideline (15) 55
  • PM10 12 µg/m³ 10
  • O₃ 15 µg/m³ 10
  • NO₂ 27 µg/m³ 13
  • SO₂ 6 µg/m³ 3
  • CO 0.48 mg/m³ 2

Modelled concentrations at the city’s location (CAMS). The sub-index uses the same averaging as the headline, so the highest one is the AQI.

Nearby cities

City AQI
Montreal Quebec 57
Toronto Ontario 36
Mississauga Ontario 34
Boston United States 68
New York City United States 74
Philadelphia United States 76
Washington United States 61

Where this number comes from

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) forecasts air pollution worldwide on a grid (about 11 km over Europe, about 45 km elsewhere). We take the grid value at Ottawa’s coordinates and score it with the US EPA’s method. It is a model, not a measurement: a nearby monitoring station can read quite differently, especially next to busy roads or during fires and dust storms.

Full methodology · Data: CAMS via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0); city list: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).

  • Good 0–50
  • Moderate 51–100
  • Unhealthy for sensitive groups 101–150
  • Unhealthy 151–200
  • Very unhealthy 201–300
  • Hazardous 301–500

Questions

What is the AQI in Ottawa right now?
55 on the US EPA scale (Moderate) at 07:00 UTC-5, 3 Nov. PM2.5 is the pollutant with the highest sub-index. This is a modelled estimate from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), not a reading from a monitoring station.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Ottawa today?
For most people, yes. The EPA’s statement for “Moderate”: Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. General guidance, not medical advice.

Will the air in Ottawa get better or worse tomorrow?
Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 29 around 18:00 to 59 around 11:00 (3 Nov). Forecasts beyond a day are less certain.

How does Ottawa compare with other cities?
Right now it is the 582nd most polluted of 849 cities we track worldwide, and 4th of 8 in Canada, all on the same US EPA scale.

Why does another app show a different AQI for Ottawa?
Apps differ in source (government stations, low-cost sensors or a model like this one), in scale (US EPA, European, or a national index) and in averaging (hourly or NowCast, 8-hour, 24-hour). This page uses the US EPA AQI with EPA’s NowCast for particles, computed from the CAMS forecast for the city’s location.