Is the air in Atlanta safe today?

Yes. Right now the US AQI in Atlanta is 33, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside.

When is the best time to be outside in Atlanta?

Sat 4:00 AM–7:00 AM. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 21. The worst hour is around Fri 12:00 PM, at 33.

What is the main pollutant in Atlanta?

Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 6.0 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.

How does Atlanta's air compare with the WHO guideline?

Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 4.2 µg/m³, against the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. The other pollutants stay within their guideline levels.

How many cigarettes is a day of Atlanta's air?

About 0.2 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 4.2 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.

Will air quality in Atlanta improve this week?

Saturday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 51, against 92 on Sunday, the worst day in the forecast.

Atlanta air quality

Georgia, United States · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · valid Fri 12:00 PM local time

Good

US AQI, mostly PM_2.5

Model estimate. Nearby measurements are shown separately.

Great air. A perfect time to be outside.

Next 24 hours: 21–33US AQI, highest around Fri 12:00 PM
Best time outside: Sat 4:00 AM–7:00 AMUS AQI about 21
PM_2.5 vs WHO guideline: 0.3×4.2 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
Cigarette equivalent: ≈ 0.2 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb

Loading the live globe…

The live globe, centred on Atlanta. Switch pollutants, drag through the next 5 days or press play. Full map →

Pollutants in Atlanta right now

Pollutant	Now	Level	Next 24 h vs WHO
Fine particles PM_2.5	6.0 µg/m³	Good	0.3×
Coarse particles PM₁₀	6.3 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Nitrogen dioxide NO₂	3.3 µg/m³	Good	0.3×
Ozone O₃	60 µg/m³	Good	0.6×
Sulphur dioxide SO₂	1.1 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Carbon monoxide CO	138 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Aerosol optical depth	0.10	Whole atmosphere · dimensionless
Desert dust	0 µg/m³	Modelled surface dust
UV index	3	Moderate

“Next 24 h vs WHO” compares the forecast with the World Health Organization’s 2021 guideline levels: 24-hour means of 15 µg/m³ for PM_2.5, 45 for PM₁₀, 25 for NO₂, 40 for SO₂ and 4 mg/m³ for CO, and 100 µg/m³ over 8 hours for ozone. Above 1× is above the guideline. Levels follow the US AQI, which is far less strict than the WHO, so air rated Good can still be above a guideline.

Next 48 hours

Hourly US AQI. Highest 59 around Sun 8:00 AM, lowest 21 around Sat 5:00 AM.

Good 0–50Moderate 51–100Sensitive 101–150Unhealthy 151–200Very unhealthy 201–300Hazardous 301+

5-day air quality forecast for Atlanta

Daily range of the hourly US AQI, from lowest to highest, on a scale of 0 to 150.

Day	US AQI	At worst	Worst hour	PM_2.5 avg	UV max
Fri, Nov 13	25–60	Moderate	1:00 AM	7.3	3 Moderate
Sat, Nov 14	21–51	Moderate	11:00 PM	4.4	4 Moderate
Sun, Nov 15	30–92	Moderate	11:00 PM	12	3 Moderate
Mon, Nov 16	28–91	Moderate	12:00 AM	14	3 Moderate
Tue, Nov 17	38–60	Moderate	7:00 PM	9.6	4 Moderate

Common questions about the air in Atlanta

Is the air in Atlanta safe today?
Yes. Right now the US AQI in Atlanta is 33, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside.
When is the best time to be outside in Atlanta?
Sat 4:00 AM–7:00 AM. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 21. The worst hour is around Fri 12:00 PM, at 33.
What is the main pollutant in Atlanta?
Fine particles (PM_2.5). It drives the index right now, at 6.0 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.
How does Atlanta's air compare with the WHO guideline?
Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 4.2 µg/m³, against the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. The other pollutants stay within their guideline levels.
How many cigarettes is a day of Atlanta's air?
About 0.2 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 4.2 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Atlanta improve this week?
Saturday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 51, against 92 on Sunday, the worst day in the forecast.

Measured near Atlanta

Station and measurements	Distance	US AQI	Level
NR-Georgia Tech AirNow, reference monitor PM_2.5: 4.1 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM NO₂: 24 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM CO: 458 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM	3.3 km	23	Good
United Ave AirNow, reference monitor SO₂: 0.5 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM	4.2 km	0	Good
United Ave OpenAQ, reference monitor PM_2.5: 1.1 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM SO₂: 0.5 µg/m³ · Fri 12:00 PM	4.2 km	6	Good

Air quality near Atlanta

US AQI right now. Cleanest nearby: Philadelphia (19); worst: Houston (61). The tick on each bar is Atlanta, at 33.

Washington, D.C. 873 km NE 32 Good
Chicago 948 km N 32 Good
Detroit 961 km N 24 Good
Miami 976 km SE 59 Moderate
Philadelphia 1,071 km NE 19 Good
Houston 1,128 km W 61 Moderate

All 162 cities →

About this forecast

Forecast from CAMS global via Open-Meteo: the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) model at about 40 km resolution (about 10 km inside Europe). Global runs update every 12 hours and European runs every 24 hours. Models smooth out street-level peaks, so busy roads and industrial sites can be worse than shown. Nearby station measurements are independent observations, not adjustments to the forecast. The point forecast uses Open-Meteo’s CAMS products, including a separate carbon monoxide product; it can differ from the globe’s global grid. The AQI rates each hour on the US EPA scale, the same way the map colors it; official daily figures average over 24 hours (8 for ozone), so they can read lower after a short peak. Readings for 33.75°N, 84.39°W, valid 2026-11-13 17:00 UTC.