GlobeMetrics
EN
  • English✓
  • हिंदी—
  • मराठी—

Try “Pune”, “Poona” or “पुणे”

Air quality · Mecca Region, Saudi Arabia

Makkah Air Quality Index (AQI) today

Modelled estimate for 16:00 local time (UTC+3), refreshed 3 Nov, 07:52 UTC+0.

154 Unhealthy

Live estimate · modelled

US EPA AQI16:00 UTC+3, 3 Nov Main pollutant: PM2.5

Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.

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 123.

Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 90 around 08:00 to 176 around 19:00 (3 Nov).

96th most polluted of 849 cities worldwide right now, 2nd of 9 in Saudi Arabia.

What to do today

  • Long walk or run outside Shorten it, take breaks
  • Kids playing outside Limit it
  • Airing the house Open briefly
  • Mask outdoors N95 if outside for long

Based on the US EPA’s health statement: “Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.” General guidance, not medical advice.

Last 24 hours and next 48

Past hours Forecast

17:00 · 155 18:00 · 164 19:00 · 165 20:00 · 154 21:00 · 144 22:00 · 133 23:00 · 123 00:00 · 118 01:00 · 112 02:00 · 107 03:00 · 103 04:00 · 98 05:00 · 95 06:00 · 93 07:00 · 94 08:00 · 96 09:00 · 95 10:00 · 94 11:00 · 95 12:00 · 99 13:00 · 116 14:00 · 134 15:00 · 151 16:00 · 154 17:00 · 160 18:00 · 172 19:00 · 176 20:00 · 165 21:00 · 154 22:00 · 151 23:00 · 151 00:00 · 152 01:00 · 152 02:00 · 151 03:00 · 146 04:00 · 135 05:00 · 119 06:00 · 105 07:00 · 95 08:00 · 90 09:00 · 91 10:00 · 97 11:00 · 108 12:00 · 127 13:00 · 149 14:00 · 156 15:00 · 161 16:00 · 165 17:00 · 159 18:00 · 155 19:00 · 150 20:00 · 136 21:00 · 123 22:00 · 115 23:00 · 111 00:00 · 110 01:00 · 111 02:00 · 112 03:00 · 112 04:00 · 111 05:00 · 107 06:00 · 103 07:00 · 102 08:00 · 103 09:00 · 103 10:00 · 103 Now

US EPA AQI per hour, UTC+3. 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 17:00155
Mon 18:00164
Mon 19:00165
Mon 20:00154
Mon 21:00144
Mon 22:00133
Mon 23:00123
Tue 00:00118
Tue 01:00112
Tue 02:00107
Tue 03:00103
Tue 04:0098
Tue 05:0095
Tue 06:0093
Tue 07:0094
Tue 08:0096
Tue 09:0095
Tue 10:0094
Tue 11:0095
Tue 12:0099
Tue 13:00116
Tue 14:00134
Tue 15:00151
Tue 16:00 · Now154
Tue 17:00 · Forecast160
Tue 18:00 · Forecast172
Tue 19:00 · Forecast176
Tue 20:00 · Forecast165
Tue 21:00 · Forecast154
Tue 22:00 · Forecast151
Tue 23:00 · Forecast151
Wed 00:00 · Forecast152
Wed 01:00 · Forecast152
Wed 02:00 · Forecast151
Wed 03:00 · Forecast146
Wed 04:00 · Forecast135
Wed 05:00 · Forecast119
Wed 06:00 · Forecast105
Wed 07:00 · Forecast95
Wed 08:00 · Forecast90
Wed 09:00 · Forecast91
Wed 10:00 · Forecast97
Wed 11:00 · Forecast108
Wed 12:00 · Forecast127
Wed 13:00 · Forecast149
Wed 14:00 · Forecast156
Wed 15:00 · Forecast161
Wed 16:00 · Forecast165
Wed 17:00 · Forecast159
Wed 18:00 · Forecast155
Wed 19:00 · Forecast150
Wed 20:00 · Forecast136
Wed 21:00 · Forecast123
Wed 22:00 · Forecast115
Wed 23:00 · Forecast111
Thu 00:00 · Forecast110
Thu 01:00 · Forecast111
Thu 02:00 · Forecast112
Thu 03:00 · Forecast112
Thu 04:00 · Forecast111
Thu 05:00 · Forecast107
Thu 06:00 · Forecast103
Thu 07:00 · Forecast102
Thu 08:00 · Forecast103
Thu 09:00 · Forecast103
Thu 10:00 · Forecast103

Pollutants this hour

  • PM2.5 64.7 µg/m³ 24-hour mean 44.5 µg/m³ · 3.0× WHO’s 24-hour guideline (15) 154
  • PM10 279 µg/m³ 145
  • O₃ 112 µg/m³ 44
  • NO₂ 26 µg/m³ 12
  • SO₂ 51 µg/m³ 27
  • CO 0.14 mg/m³ 1

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
Ta’if Mecca Region 78
Jeddah Mecca Region 98
Madinah Medina Region 114
Asmara Eritrea 56
Buraydah Al-Qassim Region 98
Ha'il Ha'il Region 111
Riyadh Riyadh Region 414

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 Makkah’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 Makkah right now?
154 on the US EPA scale (Unhealthy) at 16:00 UTC+3, 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 Makkah today?
Consider shortening outdoor exercise; sensitive groups should move it indoors. The EPA’s statement for “Unhealthy”: Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. General guidance, not medical advice.

Will the air in Makkah get better or worse tomorrow?
Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 90 around 08:00 to 176 around 19:00 (3 Nov). Forecasts beyond a day are less certain.

How does Makkah compare with other cities?
Right now it is the 96th most polluted of 849 cities we track worldwide, and 2nd of 9 in Saudi Arabia, all on the same US EPA scale.

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