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Air quality · Illinois, United States

Chicago Air Quality Index (AQI) today

Modelled estimate for 06:00 local time (UTC-6), refreshed 3 Nov, 07:52 UTC+0.

37 Good

Live estimate · modelled

US EPA AQI06:00 UTC-6, 3 Nov Main pollutant: PM2.5

Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.

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 33.

Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 27 around 05:00 to 54 around 12:00 (3 Nov).

723rd most polluted of 849 cities worldwide right now, 16th of 25 in United States.

What to do today

  • Long walk or run outside OK
  • Kids playing outside OK
  • Airing the house Open
  • Mask outdoors Not needed

Based on the US EPA’s health statement: “Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.” General guidance, not medical advice.

Last 24 hours and next 48

Past hours Forecast

07:00 · 64 08:00 · 61 09:00 · 53 10:00 · 45 11:00 · 36 12:00 · 31 13:00 · 27 14:00 · 26 15:00 · 27 16:00 · 29 17:00 · 31 18:00 · 31 19:00 · 30 20:00 · 29 21:00 · 28 22:00 · 26 23:00 · 25 00:00 · 25 01:00 · 26 02:00 · 27 03:00 · 28 04:00 · 31 05:00 · 34 06:00 · 37 07:00 · 41 08:00 · 43 09:00 · 47 10:00 · 52 11:00 · 53 12:00 · 54 13:00 · 54 14:00 · 54 15:00 · 54 16:00 · 54 17:00 · 54 18:00 · 54 19:00 · 53 20:00 · 52 21:00 · 41 22:00 · 33 23:00 · 29 00:00 · 29 01:00 · 28 02:00 · 28 03:00 · 28 04:00 · 28 05:00 · 27 06:00 · 27 07:00 · 26 08:00 · 25 09:00 · 24 10:00 · 23 11:00 · 22 12:00 · 21 13:00 · 20 14:00 · 20 15:00 · 20 16:00 · 20 17:00 · 20 18:00 · 19 19:00 · 20 20:00 · 21 21:00 · 21 22:00 · 21 23:00 · 20 00:00 · 19 01:00 · 19 Now

US EPA AQI per hour, UTC-6. 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 07:0064
Mon 08:0061
Mon 09:0053
Mon 10:0045
Mon 11:0036
Mon 12:0031
Mon 13:0027
Mon 14:0026
Mon 15:0027
Mon 16:0029
Mon 17:0031
Mon 18:0031
Mon 19:0030
Mon 20:0029
Mon 21:0028
Mon 22:0026
Mon 23:0025
Tue 00:0025
Tue 01:0026
Tue 02:0027
Tue 03:0028
Tue 04:0031
Tue 05:0034
Tue 06:00 · Now37
Tue 07:00 · Forecast41
Tue 08:00 · Forecast43
Tue 09:00 · Forecast47
Tue 10:00 · Forecast52
Tue 11:00 · Forecast53
Tue 12:00 · Forecast54
Tue 13:00 · Forecast54
Tue 14:00 · Forecast54
Tue 15:00 · Forecast54
Tue 16:00 · Forecast54
Tue 17:00 · Forecast54
Tue 18:00 · Forecast54
Tue 19:00 · Forecast53
Tue 20:00 · Forecast52
Tue 21:00 · Forecast41
Tue 22:00 · Forecast33
Tue 23:00 · Forecast29
Wed 00:00 · Forecast29
Wed 01:00 · Forecast28
Wed 02:00 · Forecast28
Wed 03:00 · Forecast28
Wed 04:00 · Forecast28
Wed 05:00 · Forecast27
Wed 06:00 · Forecast27
Wed 07:00 · Forecast26
Wed 08:00 · Forecast25
Wed 09:00 · Forecast24
Wed 10:00 · Forecast23
Wed 11:00 · Forecast22
Wed 12:00 · Forecast21
Wed 13:00 · Forecast20
Wed 14:00 · Forecast20
Wed 15:00 · Forecast20
Wed 16:00 · Forecast20
Wed 17:00 · Forecast20
Wed 18:00 · Forecast19
Wed 19:00 · Forecast20
Wed 20:00 · Forecast21
Wed 21:00 · Forecast21
Wed 22:00 · Forecast21
Wed 23:00 · Forecast20
Thu 00:00 · Forecast19
Thu 01:00 · Forecast19

Pollutants this hour

  • PM2.5 7.4 µg/m³ 24-hour mean 6.1 µg/m³ · within WHO’s 24-hour guideline (15) 37
  • PM10 8 µg/m³ 6
  • O₃ 57 µg/m³ 25
  • NO₂ 13 µg/m³ 6
  • SO₂ 2 µg/m³ 0
  • CO 0.16 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
Indianapolis Indiana 26
Columbus Ohio 27
Nashville Tennessee 42
Mississauga Canada 34
Toronto Canada 36
Charlotte North Carolina 47
Washington District of Columbia 61

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 Chicago’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 Chicago right now?
37 on the US EPA scale (Good) at 06:00 UTC-6, 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 Chicago today?
For most people, yes. The EPA’s statement for “Good”: Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk. General guidance, not medical advice.

Will the air in Chicago get better or worse tomorrow?
Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 27 around 05:00 to 54 around 12:00 (3 Nov). Forecasts beyond a day are less certain.

How does Chicago compare with other cities?
Right now it is the 723rd most polluted of 849 cities we track worldwide, and 16th of 25 in United States, all on the same US EPA scale.

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