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Air quality · Gauteng, South Africa

Pretoria Air Quality Index (AQI) today

Modelled estimate for 14:00 local time (UTC+2), refreshed 3 Nov, 07:52 UTC+0.

67 Moderate

Live estimate · modelled

US EPA AQI14:00 UTC+2, 3 Nov Main pollutant: O₃

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 56.

Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 55 around 19:00 to 77 around 16:00 (3 Nov).

416th most polluted of 849 cities worldwide right now, 5th 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

15:00 · 51 16:00 · 58 17:00 · 61 18:00 · 58 19:00 · 51 20:00 · 52 21:00 · 53 22:00 · 52 23:00 · 52 00:00 · 53 01:00 · 55 02:00 · 58 03:00 · 60 04:00 · 63 05:00 · 65 06:00 · 69 07:00 · 68 08:00 · 66 09:00 · 65 10:00 · 65 11:00 · 63 12:00 · 60 13:00 · 56 14:00 · 67 15:00 · 74 16:00 · 77 17:00 · 74 18:00 · 64 19:00 · 55 20:00 · 60 21:00 · 63 22:00 · 62 23:00 · 60 00:00 · 58 01:00 · 57 02:00 · 56 03:00 · 56 04:00 · 57 05:00 · 58 06:00 · 60 07:00 · 62 08:00 · 65 09:00 · 66 10:00 · 66 11:00 · 65 12:00 · 64 13:00 · 63 14:00 · 67 15:00 · 74 16:00 · 77 17:00 · 77 18:00 · 74 19:00 · 73 20:00 · 79 21:00 · 80 22:00 · 75 23:00 · 70 00:00 · 66 01:00 · 64 02:00 · 63 03:00 · 63 04:00 · 63 05:00 · 63 06:00 · 64 07:00 · 66 08:00 · 66 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 15:0051
Mon 16:0058
Mon 17:0061
Mon 18:0058
Mon 19:0051
Mon 20:0052
Mon 21:0053
Mon 22:0052
Mon 23:0052
Tue 00:0053
Tue 01:0055
Tue 02:0058
Tue 03:0060
Tue 04:0063
Tue 05:0065
Tue 06:0069
Tue 07:0068
Tue 08:0066
Tue 09:0065
Tue 10:0065
Tue 11:0063
Tue 12:0060
Tue 13:0056
Tue 14:00 · Now67
Tue 15:00 · Forecast74
Tue 16:00 · Forecast77
Tue 17:00 · Forecast74
Tue 18:00 · Forecast64
Tue 19:00 · Forecast55
Tue 20:00 · Forecast60
Tue 21:00 · Forecast63
Tue 22:00 · Forecast62
Tue 23:00 · Forecast60
Wed 00:00 · Forecast58
Wed 01:00 · Forecast57
Wed 02:00 · Forecast56
Wed 03:00 · Forecast56
Wed 04:00 · Forecast57
Wed 05:00 · Forecast58
Wed 06:00 · Forecast60
Wed 07:00 · Forecast62
Wed 08:00 · Forecast65
Wed 09:00 · Forecast66
Wed 10:00 · Forecast66
Wed 11:00 · Forecast65
Wed 12:00 · Forecast64
Wed 13:00 · Forecast63
Wed 14:00 · Forecast67
Wed 15:00 · Forecast74
Wed 16:00 · Forecast77
Wed 17:00 · Forecast77
Wed 18:00 · Forecast74
Wed 19:00 · Forecast73
Wed 20:00 · Forecast79
Wed 21:00 · Forecast80
Wed 22:00 · Forecast75
Wed 23:00 · Forecast70
Thu 00:00 · Forecast66
Thu 01:00 · Forecast64
Thu 02:00 · Forecast63
Thu 03:00 · Forecast63
Thu 04:00 · Forecast63
Thu 05:00 · Forecast63
Thu 06:00 · Forecast64
Thu 07:00 · Forecast66
Thu 08:00 · Forecast66
Thu 09:00 · Forecast65

Pollutants this hour

  • PM2.5 9.0 µg/m³ 24-hour mean 11.9 µg/m³ · within WHO’s 24-hour guideline (15) 54
  • PM10 9 µg/m³ 9
  • O₃ 119 µg/m³ 67
  • NO₂ 1 µg/m³ 0
  • SO₂ 5 µg/m³ 1
  • CO 0.15 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
Soshanguve Gauteng 67
Benoni Gauteng 87
Johannesburg Gauteng 77
Evaton Gauteng 77
Gaborone Botswana 55
Mbabane Eswatini 67
Manzini Eswatini 67

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 Pretoria’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 Pretoria right now?
67 on the US EPA scale (Moderate) at 14:00 UTC+2, 3 Nov. O₃ 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 Pretoria 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 Pretoria get better or worse tomorrow?
Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 55 around 19:00 to 77 around 16:00 (3 Nov). Forecasts beyond a day are less certain.

How does Pretoria compare with other cities?
Right now it is the 416th most polluted of 849 cities we track worldwide, and 5th of 9 in South Africa, all on the same US EPA scale.

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