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Air quality · California, United States

San Francisco Air Quality Index (AQI) today

Modelled estimate for 04:00 local time (UTC-8), refreshed 3 Nov, 07:52 UTC+0.

55 Moderate

Live estimate · modelled

US EPA AQI04:00 UTC-8, 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.

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

05:00 · 50 06:00 · 51 07:00 · 52 08:00 · 52 09:00 · 52 10:00 · 52 11:00 · 51 12:00 · 51 13:00 · 51 14:00 · 51 15:00 · 51 16:00 · 51 17:00 · 52 18:00 · 52 19:00 · 52 20:00 · 53 21:00 · 55 22:00 · 56 23:00 · 58 00:00 · 58 01:00 · 58 02:00 · 57 03:00 · 56 04:00 · 55 05:00 · 53 06:00 · 52 07:00 · 52 08:00 · 52 09:00 · 52 10:00 · 51 11:00 · 48 12:00 · 47 13:00 · 47 14:00 · 48 15:00 · 49 16:00 · 51 17:00 · 52 18:00 · 54 19:00 · 55 20:00 · 56 21:00 · 56 22:00 · 56 23:00 · 56 00:00 · 55 01:00 · 56 02:00 · 56 03:00 · 56 04:00 · 56 05:00 · 56 06:00 · 57 07:00 · 58 08:00 · 60 09:00 · 61 10:00 · 60 11:00 · 58 12:00 · 58 13:00 · 58 14:00 · 57 15:00 · 57 16:00 · 57 17:00 · 56 18:00 · 55 19:00 · 51 20:00 · 45 21:00 · 43 22:00 · 42 23:00 · 43 Now

US EPA AQI per hour, UTC-8. 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 05:0050
Mon 06:0051
Mon 07:0052
Mon 08:0052
Mon 09:0052
Mon 10:0052
Mon 11:0051
Mon 12:0051
Mon 13:0051
Mon 14:0051
Mon 15:0051
Mon 16:0051
Mon 17:0052
Mon 18:0052
Mon 19:0052
Mon 20:0053
Mon 21:0055
Mon 22:0056
Mon 23:0058
Tue 00:0058
Tue 01:0058
Tue 02:0057
Tue 03:0056
Tue 04:00 · Now55
Tue 05:00 · Forecast53
Tue 06:00 · Forecast52
Tue 07:00 · Forecast52
Tue 08:00 · Forecast52
Tue 09:00 · Forecast52
Tue 10:00 · Forecast51
Tue 11:00 · Forecast48
Tue 12:00 · Forecast47
Tue 13:00 · Forecast47
Tue 14:00 · Forecast48
Tue 15:00 · Forecast49
Tue 16:00 · Forecast51
Tue 17:00 · Forecast52
Tue 18:00 · Forecast54
Tue 19:00 · Forecast55
Tue 20:00 · Forecast56
Tue 21:00 · Forecast56
Tue 22:00 · Forecast56
Tue 23:00 · Forecast56
Wed 00:00 · Forecast55
Wed 01:00 · Forecast56
Wed 02:00 · Forecast56
Wed 03:00 · Forecast56
Wed 04:00 · Forecast56
Wed 05:00 · Forecast56
Wed 06:00 · Forecast57
Wed 07:00 · Forecast58
Wed 08:00 · Forecast60
Wed 09:00 · Forecast61
Wed 10:00 · Forecast60
Wed 11:00 · Forecast58
Wed 12:00 · Forecast58
Wed 13:00 · Forecast58
Wed 14:00 · Forecast57
Wed 15:00 · Forecast57
Wed 16:00 · Forecast57
Wed 17:00 · Forecast56
Wed 18:00 · Forecast55
Wed 19:00 · Forecast51
Wed 20:00 · Forecast45
Wed 21:00 · Forecast43
Wed 22:00 · Forecast42
Wed 23:00 · Forecast43

Pollutants this hour

  • PM2.5 9.6 µg/m³ 24-hour mean 10.5 µg/m³ · within WHO’s 24-hour guideline (15) 55
  • PM10 14 µg/m³ 14
  • O₃ 65 µg/m³ 29
  • NO₂ 14 µg/m³ 7
  • SO₂ 1 µg/m³ 0
  • CO 0.12 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
San Jose California 59
Los Angeles California 88
San Diego California 69
Tijuana Mexico 60
Mexicali Mexico 65
Portland Oregon 74
Phoenix Arizona 70

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 San Francisco’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 San Francisco right now?

55 on the US EPA scale (Moderate) at 04:00 UTC-8, 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 San Francisco 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 San Francisco get better or worse tomorrow?

Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 47 around 12:00 to 56 around 20:00 (3 Nov). Forecasts beyond a day are less certain.

How does San Francisco compare with other cities?

Right now it is the 583rd most polluted of 849 cities we track worldwide, and 11th of 25 in United States, all on the same US EPA scale.

Why does another app show a different AQI for San Francisco?

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.