Is the air in Buenos Aires safe today?

Yes. Right now the US AQI in Buenos Aires is 39, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside. It is expected to reach 54 (moderate) around Sat 13:00.

When is the best time to be outside in Buenos Aires?

Sat 03:00–6:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 21. The worst hour is around Sat 13:00, at 54.

What is the main pollutant in Buenos Aires?

Ozone (O3). It drives the index right now, at 84 µg/m³. Formed by sunlight acting on traffic and plant emissions. Highest on hot, still afternoons, often downwind of cities.

How does Buenos Aires's air compare with the WHO guideline?

Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 4.7 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 Buenos Aires's air?

About 0.2 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 4.7 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.

Will air quality in Buenos Aires improve this week?

Monday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 38, against 59 on Tuesday, the worst day in the forecast.

Buenos Aires air quality

Argentina · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · valid Fri 14:00 local time

Good

US AQI, mostly O₃

Model estimate. Nearby measurements are shown separately.

Great air. A perfect time to be outside.

Next 24 hours: 20–54US AQI, highest around Sat 13:00
Best time outside: Sat 03:00–6:00US AQI about 21
PM_2.5 vs WHO guideline: 0.3×4.7 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 Buenos Aires. Switch pollutants, drag through the next 5 days or press play. Full map →

Pollutants in Buenos Aires right now

Pollutant	Now	Level	Next 24 h vs WHO
Fine particles PM_2.5	2.0 µg/m³	Good	0.3×
Coarse particles PM₁₀	2.1 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Nitrogen dioxide NO₂	3.4 µg/m³	Good	0.3×
Ozone O₃	84 µg/m³	Good	0.8×
Sulphur dioxide SO₂	3.0 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Carbon monoxide CO	148 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Aerosol optical depth	0.16	Whole atmosphere · dimensionless
Desert dust	0 µg/m³	Modelled surface dust
UV index	8	Very high

“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 54 around Sat 13:00, lowest 19 around Sun 00:00.

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

5-day air quality forecast for Buenos Aires

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 13 Nov	23–46	Good	20:00	3.4	8 Very high
Sat 14 Nov	20–54	Moderate	13:00	4.0	11 Extreme
Sun 15 Nov	19–52	Moderate	19:00	5.5	9 Very high
Mon 16 Nov	18–38	Good	20:00	4.4	9 Very high
Tue 17 Nov	23–59	Moderate	21:00	5.2	10 Very high

Common questions about the air in Buenos Aires

Is the air in Buenos Aires safe today?
Yes. Right now the US AQI in Buenos Aires is 39, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside. It is expected to reach 54 (moderate) around Sat 13:00.
When is the best time to be outside in Buenos Aires?
Sat 03:00–6:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 21. The worst hour is around Sat 13:00, at 54.
What is the main pollutant in Buenos Aires?
Ozone (O₃). It drives the index right now, at 84 µg/m³. Formed by sunlight acting on traffic and plant emissions. Highest on hot, still afternoons, often downwind of cities.
How does Buenos Aires's air compare with the WHO guideline?
Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 4.7 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 Buenos Aires's air?
About 0.2 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 4.7 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Buenos Aires improve this week?
Monday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 38, against 59 on Tuesday, the worst day in the forecast.

Measured near Buenos Aires

Station and measurements	Distance	US AQI	Level
Unnamed sensor OpenAQ, low-cost sensor PM_2.5: 8.0 µg/m³ · Fri 14:00	4.4 km	44	Good

Air quality near Buenos Aires

US AQI right now. Cleanest nearby: La Paz (27); worst: Santiago (217). The tick on each bar is Buenos Aires, at 39.

Santiago 1,139 km W 217 Very unhealthy
São Paulo 1,675 km NE 93 Moderate
Rio de Janeiro 1,968 km NE 179 Unhealthy
La Paz 2,235 km NW 27 Good
Lima 3,137 km NW 71 Moderate
Quito 4,360 km NW 48 Good

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 34.60°S, 58.38°W, valid 2026-11-13 17:00 UTC.