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Air quality · District of Columbia, United States

Washington Air Quality Index (AQI) today

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

61 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 52.

Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 46 around 04:00 to 68 around 09:00 (3 Nov).

489th most polluted of 849 cities worldwide right now, 9th 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 · 56 09:00 · 55 10:00 · 52 11:00 · 43 12:00 · 35 13:00 · 29 14:00 · 27 15:00 · 31 16:00 · 35 17:00 · 37 18:00 · 43 19:00 · 51 20:00 · 53 21:00 · 54 22:00 · 55 23:00 · 54 00:00 · 54 01:00 · 53 02:00 · 53 03:00 · 53 04:00 · 54 05:00 · 54 06:00 · 56 07:00 · 61 08:00 · 65 09:00 · 68 10:00 · 67 11:00 · 63 12:00 · 60 13:00 · 56 14:00 · 54 15:00 · 52 16:00 · 52 17:00 · 52 18:00 · 56 19:00 · 58 20:00 · 58 21:00 · 57 22:00 · 55 23:00 · 54 00:00 · 53 01:00 · 52 02:00 · 50 03:00 · 48 04:00 · 46 05:00 · 46 06:00 · 49 07:00 · 53 08:00 · 56 09:00 · 58 10:00 · 59 11:00 · 59 12:00 · 58 13:00 · 56 14:00 · 55 15:00 · 54 16:00 · 54 17:00 · 55 18:00 · 56 19:00 · 56 20:00 · 56 21:00 · 55 22:00 · 53 23:00 · 52 00:00 · 51 01:00 · 48 02:00 · 45 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 08:0056
Mon 09:0055
Mon 10:0052
Mon 11:0043
Mon 12:0035
Mon 13:0029
Mon 14:0027
Mon 15:0031
Mon 16:0035
Mon 17:0037
Mon 18:0043
Mon 19:0051
Mon 20:0053
Mon 21:0054
Mon 22:0055
Mon 23:0054
Tue 00:0054
Tue 01:0053
Tue 02:0053
Tue 03:0053
Tue 04:0054
Tue 05:0054
Tue 06:0056
Tue 07:00 · Now61
Tue 08:00 · Forecast65
Tue 09:00 · Forecast68
Tue 10:00 · Forecast67
Tue 11:00 · Forecast63
Tue 12:00 · Forecast60
Tue 13:00 · Forecast56
Tue 14:00 · Forecast54
Tue 15:00 · Forecast52
Tue 16:00 · Forecast52
Tue 17:00 · Forecast52
Tue 18:00 · Forecast56
Tue 19:00 · Forecast58
Tue 20:00 · Forecast58
Tue 21:00 · Forecast57
Tue 22:00 · Forecast55
Tue 23:00 · Forecast54
Wed 00:00 · Forecast53
Wed 01:00 · Forecast52
Wed 02:00 · Forecast50
Wed 03:00 · Forecast48
Wed 04:00 · Forecast46
Wed 05:00 · Forecast46
Wed 06:00 · Forecast49
Wed 07:00 · Forecast53
Wed 08:00 · Forecast56
Wed 09:00 · Forecast58
Wed 10:00 · Forecast59
Wed 11:00 · Forecast59
Wed 12:00 · Forecast58
Wed 13:00 · Forecast56
Wed 14:00 · Forecast55
Wed 15:00 · Forecast54
Wed 16:00 · Forecast54
Wed 17:00 · Forecast55
Wed 18:00 · Forecast56
Wed 19:00 · Forecast56
Wed 20:00 · Forecast56
Wed 21:00 · Forecast55
Wed 22:00 · Forecast53
Wed 23:00 · Forecast52
Thu 00:00 · Forecast51
Thu 01:00 · Forecast48
Thu 02:00 · Forecast45

Pollutants this hour

  • PM2.5 17.4 µg/m³ 24-hour mean 9.5 µg/m³ · within WHO’s 24-hour guideline (15) 61
  • PM10 19 µg/m³ 15
  • O₃ 23 µg/m³ 19
  • NO₂ 36 µg/m³ 18
  • SO₂ 3 µg/m³ 1
  • CO 0.33 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
Philadelphia Pennsylvania 76
New York City New York 74
Columbus Ohio 27
Charlotte North Carolina 47
Mississauga Canada 34
Toronto Canada 36
Boston Massachusetts 68

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 Washington’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 Washington right now?
61 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 Washington 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 Washington get better or worse tomorrow?
Over the next 24 hours the model expects the AQI to range from 46 around 04:00 to 68 around 09:00 (3 Nov). Forecasts beyond a day are less certain.

How does Washington compare with other cities?
Right now it is the 489th most polluted of 849 cities we track worldwide, and 9th of 25 in United States, all on the same US EPA scale.

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