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Air quality · Bagmati Province, Nepal

Kathmandu Air Quality Index (AQI) today

Modelled estimate for 18:45 local time (UTC+5:45), refreshed 3 Nov, 07:52 UTC+0.

86 Moderate

Live estimate · modelled

US EPA AQI18:45 UTC+5:45, 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 90.

Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 82 around 11:45 to 136 around 04:45 (4 Nov).

257th most polluted of 849 cities worldwide right now, 1st of 2 in Nepal.

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

19:45 · 86 20:45 · 95 21:45 · 107 22:45 · 119 23:45 · 126 00:45 · 127 01:45 · 127 02:45 · 124 03:45 · 119 04:45 · 113 05:45 · 109 06:45 · 111 07:45 · 108 08:45 · 87 09:45 · 73 10:45 · 64 11:45 · 60 12:45 · 58 13:45 · 58 14:45 · 64 15:45 · 74 16:45 · 74 17:45 · 73 18:45 · 86 19:45 · 99 20:45 · 108 21:45 · 116 22:45 · 121 23:45 · 124 00:45 · 125 01:45 · 127 02:45 · 130 03:45 · 133 04:45 · 136 05:45 · 133 06:45 · 131 07:45 · 131 08:45 · 116 09:45 · 93 10:45 · 85 11:45 · 82 12:45 · 83 13:45 · 86 14:45 · 90 15:45 · 95 16:45 · 102 17:45 · 117 18:45 · 134 19:45 · 144 20:45 · 152 21:45 · 155 22:45 · 158 23:45 · 161 00:45 · 162 01:45 · 164 02:45 · 165 03:45 · 165 04:45 · 163 05:45 · 161 06:45 · 160 07:45 · 160 08:45 · 148 09:45 · 122 10:45 · 107 11:45 · 99 12:45 · 97 Now

US EPA AQI per hour, UTC+5:45. 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 19:4586
Mon 20:4595
Mon 21:45107
Mon 22:45119
Mon 23:45126
Tue 00:45127
Tue 01:45127
Tue 02:45124
Tue 03:45119
Tue 04:45113
Tue 05:45109
Tue 06:45111
Tue 07:45108
Tue 08:4587
Tue 09:4573
Tue 10:4564
Tue 11:4560
Tue 12:4558
Tue 13:4558
Tue 14:4564
Tue 15:4574
Tue 16:4574
Tue 17:4573
Tue 18:45 · Now86
Tue 19:45 · Forecast99
Tue 20:45 · Forecast108
Tue 21:45 · Forecast116
Tue 22:45 · Forecast121
Tue 23:45 · Forecast124
Wed 00:45 · Forecast125
Wed 01:45 · Forecast127
Wed 02:45 · Forecast130
Wed 03:45 · Forecast133
Wed 04:45 · Forecast136
Wed 05:45 · Forecast133
Wed 06:45 · Forecast131
Wed 07:45 · Forecast131
Wed 08:45 · Forecast116
Wed 09:45 · Forecast93
Wed 10:45 · Forecast85
Wed 11:45 · Forecast82
Wed 12:45 · Forecast83
Wed 13:45 · Forecast86
Wed 14:45 · Forecast90
Wed 15:45 · Forecast95
Wed 16:45 · Forecast102
Wed 17:45 · Forecast117
Wed 18:45 · Forecast134
Wed 19:45 · Forecast144
Wed 20:45 · Forecast152
Wed 21:45 · Forecast155
Wed 22:45 · Forecast158
Wed 23:45 · Forecast161
Thu 00:45 · Forecast162
Thu 01:45 · Forecast164
Thu 02:45 · Forecast165
Thu 03:45 · Forecast165
Thu 04:45 · Forecast163
Thu 05:45 · Forecast161
Thu 06:45 · Forecast160
Thu 07:45 · Forecast160
Thu 08:45 · Forecast148
Thu 09:45 · Forecast122
Thu 10:45 · Forecast107
Thu 11:45 · Forecast99
Thu 12:45 · Forecast97

Pollutants this hour

  • PM2.5 34.9 µg/m³ 24-hour mean 30.2 µg/m³ · 2.0× WHO’s 24-hour guideline (15) 86
  • PM10 36 µg/m³ 27
  • O₃ 87 µg/m³ 64
  • NO₂ 21 µg/m³ 10
  • SO₂ 7 µg/m³ 3
  • CO 2.18 mg/m³ 9

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
Pokhara Gandaki Pradesh 84
Rangpur Bangladesh 139
Rajshahi Bangladesh 159
Gazipur Bangladesh 144
Dhaka Bangladesh 154
Khulna Bangladesh 155
Comilla Bangladesh 137
Patna India 80
Varanasi India 142
Lucknow India 167

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 Kathmandu’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 Kathmandu right now?
86 on the US EPA scale (Moderate) at 18:45 UTC+5:45, 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 Kathmandu 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 Kathmandu get better or worse tomorrow?
Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 82 around 11:45 to 136 around 04:45 (4 Nov). Forecasts beyond a day are less certain.

How does Kathmandu compare with other cities?
Right now it is the 257th most polluted of 849 cities we track worldwide, and 1st of 2 in Nepal, all on the same US EPA scale.

Why does another app show a different AQI for Kathmandu?
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.