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Air quality · Western Cape, South Africa

Cape Town Air Quality Index (AQI) today

Modelled estimate for 15:00 local time (UTC+2), refreshed 3 Nov, 07:52 UTC+0.

83 Moderate

Live estimate · modelled

US EPA AQI15:00 UTC+2, 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 61.

Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 56 around 05:00 to 174 around 15:00 (4 Nov).

281st most polluted of 849 cities worldwide right now, 2nd of 9 in South Africa.

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

16:00 · 54 17:00 · 53 18:00 · 52 19:00 · 50 20:00 · 51 21:00 · 51 22:00 · 51 23:00 · 51 00:00 · 48 01:00 · 46 02:00 · 44 03:00 · 39 04:00 · 36 05:00 · 33 06:00 · 34 07:00 · 42 08:00 · 52 09:00 · 61 10:00 · 77 11:00 · 95 12:00 · 98 13:00 · 94 14:00 · 88 15:00 · 83 16:00 · 90 17:00 · 90 18:00 · 77 19:00 · 70 20:00 · 68 21:00 · 65 22:00 · 64 23:00 · 63 00:00 · 62 01:00 · 61 02:00 · 59 03:00 · 58 04:00 · 57 05:00 · 56 06:00 · 57 07:00 · 61 08:00 · 72 09:00 · 88 10:00 · 114 11:00 · 145 12:00 · 157 13:00 · 160 14:00 · 160 15:00 · 174 16:00 · 197 17:00 · 201 18:00 · 195 19:00 · 174 20:00 · 140 21:00 · 91 22:00 · 88 23:00 · 86 00:00 · 85 01:00 · 85 02:00 · 85 03:00 · 84 04:00 · 80 05:00 · 74 06:00 · 69 07:00 · 67 08:00 · 67 09:00 · 65 Now

US EPA AQI per hour, UTC+2. 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 16:0054
Mon 17:0053
Mon 18:0052
Mon 19:0050
Mon 20:0051
Mon 21:0051
Mon 22:0051
Mon 23:0051
Tue 00:0048
Tue 01:0046
Tue 02:0044
Tue 03:0039
Tue 04:0036
Tue 05:0033
Tue 06:0034
Tue 07:0042
Tue 08:0052
Tue 09:0061
Tue 10:0077
Tue 11:0095
Tue 12:0098
Tue 13:0094
Tue 14:0088
Tue 15:00 · Now83
Tue 16:00 · Forecast90
Tue 17:00 · Forecast90
Tue 18:00 · Forecast77
Tue 19:00 · Forecast70
Tue 20:00 · Forecast68
Tue 21:00 · Forecast65
Tue 22:00 · Forecast64
Tue 23:00 · Forecast63
Wed 00:00 · Forecast62
Wed 01:00 · Forecast61
Wed 02:00 · Forecast59
Wed 03:00 · Forecast58
Wed 04:00 · Forecast57
Wed 05:00 · Forecast56
Wed 06:00 · Forecast57
Wed 07:00 · Forecast61
Wed 08:00 · Forecast72
Wed 09:00 · Forecast88
Wed 10:00 · Forecast114
Wed 11:00 · Forecast145
Wed 12:00 · Forecast157
Wed 13:00 · Forecast160
Wed 14:00 · Forecast160
Wed 15:00 · Forecast174
Wed 16:00 · Forecast197
Wed 17:00 · Forecast201
Wed 18:00 · Forecast195
Wed 19:00 · Forecast174
Wed 20:00 · Forecast140
Wed 21:00 · Forecast91
Wed 22:00 · Forecast88
Wed 23:00 · Forecast86
Thu 00:00 · Forecast85
Thu 01:00 · Forecast85
Thu 02:00 · Forecast85
Thu 03:00 · Forecast84
Thu 04:00 · Forecast80
Thu 05:00 · Forecast74
Thu 06:00 · Forecast69
Thu 07:00 · Forecast67
Thu 08:00 · Forecast67
Thu 09:00 · Forecast65

Pollutants this hour

  • PM2.5 23.9 µg/m³ 24-hour mean 14.5 µg/m³ · within WHO’s 24-hour guideline (15) 83
  • PM10 30 µg/m³ 29
  • O₃ 119 µg/m³ 80
  • NO₂ 8 µg/m³ 4
  • SO₂ 10 µg/m³ 4
  • CO 0.09 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
Gqeberha Eastern Cape 41
Maseru Lesotho 42
Evaton Gauteng 80
Pietermaritzburg KwaZulu-Natal 36
Gaborone Botswana 53
Johannesburg Gauteng 80
Windhoek Namibia 39

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 Cape Town’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 Cape Town right now?
83 on the US EPA scale (Moderate) at 15:00 UTC+2, 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 Cape Town 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 Cape Town get better or worse tomorrow?
Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 56 around 05:00 to 174 around 15:00 (4 Nov). Forecasts beyond a day are less certain.

How does Cape Town compare with other cities?
Right now it is the 281st most polluted of 849 cities we track worldwide, and 2nd of 9 in South Africa, all on the same US EPA scale.

Why does another app show a different AQI for Cape Town?
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.