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Air quality · Texas, United States

Houston Air Quality Index (AQI) today

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

52 Moderate

Live estimate · modelled

US EPA AQI06:00 UTC-6, 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 34 around 16:00 to 61 around 00:00 (4 Nov).

627th most polluted of 849 cities worldwide right now, 12th 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

07:00 · 102 08:00 · 90 09:00 · 78 10:00 · 69 11:00 · 64 12:00 · 60 13:00 · 59 14:00 · 57 15:00 · 55 16:00 · 54 17:00 · 55 18:00 · 55 19:00 · 55 20:00 · 54 21:00 · 54 22:00 · 54 23:00 · 54 00:00 · 54 01:00 · 53 02:00 · 53 03:00 · 53 04:00 · 52 05:00 · 52 06:00 · 52 07:00 · 53 08:00 · 54 09:00 · 54 10:00 · 54 11:00 · 53 12:00 · 52 13:00 · 51 14:00 · 49 15:00 · 41 16:00 · 34 17:00 · 34 18:00 · 44 19:00 · 54 20:00 · 57 21:00 · 57 22:00 · 58 23:00 · 60 00:00 · 61 01:00 · 61 02:00 · 60 03:00 · 57 04:00 · 54 05:00 · 52 06:00 · 51 07:00 · 51 08:00 · 53 09:00 · 52 10:00 · 45 11:00 · 41 12:00 · 39 13:00 · 41 14:00 · 43 15:00 · 46 16:00 · 49 17:00 · 55 18:00 · 66 19:00 · 76 20:00 · 81 21:00 · 84 22:00 · 86 23:00 · 89 00:00 · 93 01:00 · 99 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 07:00102
Mon 08:0090
Mon 09:0078
Mon 10:0069
Mon 11:0064
Mon 12:0060
Mon 13:0059
Mon 14:0057
Mon 15:0055
Mon 16:0054
Mon 17:0055
Mon 18:0055
Mon 19:0055
Mon 20:0054
Mon 21:0054
Mon 22:0054
Mon 23:0054
Tue 00:0054
Tue 01:0053
Tue 02:0053
Tue 03:0053
Tue 04:0052
Tue 05:0052
Tue 06:00 · Now52
Tue 07:00 · Forecast53
Tue 08:00 · Forecast54
Tue 09:00 · Forecast54
Tue 10:00 · Forecast54
Tue 11:00 · Forecast53
Tue 12:00 · Forecast52
Tue 13:00 · Forecast51
Tue 14:00 · Forecast49
Tue 15:00 · Forecast41
Tue 16:00 · Forecast34
Tue 17:00 · Forecast34
Tue 18:00 · Forecast44
Tue 19:00 · Forecast54
Tue 20:00 · Forecast57
Tue 21:00 · Forecast57
Tue 22:00 · Forecast58
Tue 23:00 · Forecast60
Wed 00:00 · Forecast61
Wed 01:00 · Forecast61
Wed 02:00 · Forecast60
Wed 03:00 · Forecast57
Wed 04:00 · Forecast54
Wed 05:00 · Forecast52
Wed 06:00 · Forecast51
Wed 07:00 · Forecast51
Wed 08:00 · Forecast53
Wed 09:00 · Forecast52
Wed 10:00 · Forecast45
Wed 11:00 · Forecast41
Wed 12:00 · Forecast39
Wed 13:00 · Forecast41
Wed 14:00 · Forecast43
Wed 15:00 · Forecast46
Wed 16:00 · Forecast49
Wed 17:00 · Forecast55
Wed 18:00 · Forecast66
Wed 19:00 · Forecast76
Wed 20:00 · Forecast81
Wed 21:00 · Forecast84
Wed 22:00 · Forecast86
Wed 23:00 · Forecast89
Thu 00:00 · Forecast93
Thu 01:00 · Forecast99

Pollutants this hour

  • PM2.5 10.4 µg/m³ 24-hour mean 12.6 µg/m³ · within WHO’s 24-hour guideline (15) 52
  • PM10 13 µg/m³ 11
  • O₃ 33 µg/m³ 18
  • NO₂ 15 µg/m³ 7
  • SO₂ 2 µg/m³ 0
  • 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
Austin Texas 23
San Antonio Texas 19
Dallas Texas 26
Fort Worth Texas 26
Oklahoma City Oklahoma 21
Monterrey Mexico 55
Saltillo Mexico 43

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 Houston’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 Houston right now?
52 on the US EPA scale (Moderate) 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 Houston 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 Houston get better or worse tomorrow?
Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 34 around 16:00 to 61 around 00:00 (4 Nov). Forecasts beyond a day are less certain.

How does Houston compare with other cities?
Right now it is the 627th most polluted of 849 cities we track worldwide, and 12th of 25 in United States, all on the same US EPA scale.

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