Washington, United States · Live air quality
You're looking at Washington's air right now — US AQI 17, good, driven by PM2.5.
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Washington Air Quality Index (AQI) Today
Live air quality in Washington, United States — real-time US AQI, PM2.5 & PM10 and a plain-English health advisory, from OpenAQ station data.
Yes — air quality in Washington is good today (US AQI 17). Outdoor activity is fine for everyone.
Where 17 sits on the US EPA scale
Washington air quality forecast
12°C · wind 20 km/hA brisk 20 km/h wind is dispersing pollution today.
3-day forecast modelled by Open-Meteo on the US EPA scale. Forecasts are estimates and can change — the live reading above is measured.
What you can do outside right now
General guidance by AQI band. Sensitive groups should act one level earlier.
Live pollutant levels
Computed on the US EPA AQI scale from PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations; the city AQI is the higher sub-index (the dominant pollutant). Bars show the sub-index out of 500.
What this air does to your body
Illustrative equivalences from published research (Berkeley Earth; Air Quality Life Index, University of Chicago). Not a medical assessment of your personal risk.
24-hour AQI graph
min 8 · max 55Hourly AQI recorded each hour by DailyAQI (local time). Fills to a rolling 24 hours.
7-day AQI trend
Daily peak AQI recorded by DailyAQI since tracking began, coloured by category. History grows to a rolling 30 days.
Air quality calendar
Worst recorded day: 2026-10-25 (AQI 87) · cleanest: 2026-10-11 (AQI 42)
Each cell is a day, coloured by that day’s peak AQI band. Only days we have recorded are shown; the grid fills out over the month.
Make it personal
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Alert me when the air turns unhealthy
Get a free push notification the moment Washington's AQI crosses your threshold — no email, no account.
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What Good air means for you
Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
Health guidance per US EPA AQI categories. Informational only — not medical advice.
US AQI categories
| AQI | Category | Health impact |
|---|---|---|
| 0–50 | Good | Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk. |
| 51–100 | Moderate | Air quality is acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion. |
| 101–150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects; the general public is less likely to be affected. |
| 151–200 | Unhealthy | Some members of the general public may experience health effects; sensitive groups may experience more serious effects. |
| 201–300 | Very Unhealthy | Health alert: the risk of health effects is increased for everyone. |
| 301–500 | Hazardous | Health warning of emergency conditions; everyone is more likely to be affected. Stay indoors. |
Monitoring location
Approximate location of the monitoring station(s) feeding this reading. Map © OpenStreetMap.
About air quality in Washington
This page tracks the Washington Air Quality Index using measurements from public monitoring stations aggregated by OpenAQ, reported on the US EPA AQI scale — the international standard used by most worldwide air-quality services. The index runs from 0 to 500; the higher the number, the more polluted the air and the greater the health concern. It is calculated here from fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and coarse particulate matter (PM10), the pollutants that most often drive urban air quality.
Air quality in Washington varies through the day and across seasons with traffic, industry, weather and — in many regions — seasonal biomass or crop burning. Checking the live reading before outdoor exercise or a commute helps you decide whether to adjust timing, wear a mask, or keep windows closed. We only display a number when a recent station reading exists; if you see "data updating", we are waiting on fresh data rather than showing an estimate.
Air quality near Washington
All world cities →Other monitored cities near Washington, with their live US AQI.
Frequently asked questions
What is the AQI in Washington today?
The current US EPA Air Quality Index in Washington is 17 (Good), driven by PM2.5.
Is it safe to go outside in Washington today?
Yes — air quality in Washington is good today (US AQI 17). Outdoor activity is fine for everyone.
Which AQI scale is used here?
International cities use the US EPA AQI scale (0–500), the global standard also used by most worldwide air-quality services, computed from PM2.5 and PM10. Indian cities on this site use India's national CPCB scale.
How is Washington's AQI measured?
From public monitoring stations aggregated by OpenAQ. We only show a reading when a station has reported within the last few hours; otherwise the page says "data updating".
What is the air quality forecast for Washington tomorrow?
Air in Washington is forecast to improve tomorrow to around AQI 29 (Good), down from about 40 today. Forecasts are modelled estimates (Open-Meteo) and can change.