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Air quality · Massachusetts, United States

Boston Air Quality Index (AQI) today

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

68 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 57.

Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 55 around 15:00 to 74 around 09:00 (3 Nov).

405th most polluted of 849 cities worldwide right now, 8th of 25 in United States.

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 · 49 09:00 · 52 10:00 · 52 11:00 · 52 12:00 · 51 13:00 · 51 14:00 · 51 15:00 · 51 16:00 · 52 17:00 · 54 18:00 · 54 19:00 · 55 20:00 · 55 21:00 · 56 22:00 · 56 23:00 · 56 00:00 · 57 01:00 · 57 02:00 · 57 03:00 · 58 04:00 · 59 05:00 · 60 06:00 · 63 07:00 · 68 08:00 · 72 09:00 · 74 10:00 · 71 11:00 · 67 12:00 · 62 13:00 · 58 14:00 · 56 15:00 · 55 16:00 · 57 17:00 · 63 18:00 · 66 19:00 · 69 20:00 · 71 21:00 · 72 22:00 · 71 23:00 · 69 00:00 · 66 01:00 · 65 02:00 · 65 03:00 · 65 04:00 · 66 05:00 · 65 06:00 · 66 07:00 · 66 08:00 · 66 09:00 · 66 10:00 · 65 11:00 · 64 12:00 · 62 13:00 · 61 14:00 · 59 15:00 · 59 16:00 · 58 17:00 · 58 18:00 · 58 19:00 · 58 20:00 · 58 21:00 · 58 22:00 · 57 23:00 · 56 00:00 · 54 01:00 · 52 02:00 · 48 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 08:0049
Mon 09:0052
Mon 10:0052
Mon 11:0052
Mon 12:0051
Mon 13:0051
Mon 14:0051
Mon 15:0051
Mon 16:0052
Mon 17:0054
Mon 18:0054
Mon 19:0055
Mon 20:0055
Mon 21:0056
Mon 22:0056
Mon 23:0056
Tue 00:0057
Tue 01:0057
Tue 02:0057
Tue 03:0058
Tue 04:0059
Tue 05:0060
Tue 06:0063
Tue 07:00 · Now68
Tue 08:00 · Forecast72
Tue 09:00 · Forecast74
Tue 10:00 · Forecast71
Tue 11:00 · Forecast67
Tue 12:00 · Forecast62
Tue 13:00 · Forecast58
Tue 14:00 · Forecast56
Tue 15:00 · Forecast55
Tue 16:00 · Forecast57
Tue 17:00 · Forecast63
Tue 18:00 · Forecast66
Tue 19:00 · Forecast69
Tue 20:00 · Forecast71
Tue 21:00 · Forecast72
Tue 22:00 · Forecast71
Tue 23:00 · Forecast69
Wed 00:00 · Forecast66
Wed 01:00 · Forecast65
Wed 02:00 · Forecast65
Wed 03:00 · Forecast65
Wed 04:00 · Forecast66
Wed 05:00 · Forecast65
Wed 06:00 · Forecast66
Wed 07:00 · Forecast66
Wed 08:00 · Forecast66
Wed 09:00 · Forecast66
Wed 10:00 · Forecast65
Wed 11:00 · Forecast64
Wed 12:00 · Forecast62
Wed 13:00 · Forecast61
Wed 14:00 · Forecast59
Wed 15:00 · Forecast59
Wed 16:00 · Forecast58
Wed 17:00 · Forecast58
Wed 18:00 · Forecast58
Wed 19:00 · Forecast58
Wed 20:00 · Forecast58
Wed 21:00 · Forecast58
Wed 22:00 · Forecast57
Wed 23:00 · Forecast56
Thu 00:00 · Forecast54
Thu 01:00 · Forecast52
Thu 02:00 · Forecast48

Pollutants this hour

  • PM2.5 21.1 µg/m³ 24-hour mean 12.3 µg/m³ · within WHO’s 24-hour guideline (15) 68
  • PM10 22 µg/m³ 18
  • O₃ 9 µg/m³ 15
  • NO₂ 49 µg/m³ 25
  • SO₂ 3 µg/m³ 1
  • CO 0.34 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
New York City New York 74
Montreal Canada 57
Philadelphia Pennsylvania 76
Ottawa Canada 55
Washington District of Columbia 61
Toronto Canada 36
Mississauga Canada 34

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 Boston’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 Boston right now?
68 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 Boston 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 Boston get better or worse tomorrow?
Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 55 around 15:00 to 74 around 09:00 (3 Nov). Forecasts beyond a day are less certain.

How does Boston compare with other cities?
Right now it is the 405th most polluted of 849 cities we track worldwide, and 8th of 25 in United States, all on the same US EPA scale.

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