Is the air in Cape Town safe today?

For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Cape Town is 63, which counts as moderate. Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.

When is the best time to be outside in Cape Town?

Sat 06:00–9:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 53. The worst hour is around Fri 19:00, at 63.

What is the main pollutant in Cape Town?

Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 16 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.

How does Cape Town's air compare with the WHO guideline?

Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 13 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 Cape Town's air?

About 0.6 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 13 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.

Will air quality in Cape Town improve this week?

Saturday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 61, against 76 on Friday, the worst day in the forecast.

Cape Town air quality

South Africa · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · valid Fri 19:00 local time

Moderate

US AQI, mostly PM_2.5

Model estimate. Nearby measurements are shown separately.

Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.

Next 24 hours: 52–63US AQI, highest around Fri 19:00
Best time outside: Sat 06:00–9:00US AQI about 53
PM_2.5 vs WHO guideline: 0.9×13 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
Cigarette equivalent: ≈ 0.6 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb

Loading the live globe…

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

Pollutants in Cape Town right now

Pollutant	Now	Level	Next 24 h vs WHO
Fine particles PM_2.5	16 µg/m³	Moderate	0.9×
Coarse particles PM₁₀	24 µg/m³	Good	0.4×
Nitrogen dioxide NO₂	6.3 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Ozone O₃	50 µg/m³	Good	0.6×
Sulphur dioxide SO₂	4.7 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Carbon monoxide CO	107 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Aerosol optical depth	0.11	Whole atmosphere · dimensionless
Desert dust	0 µg/m³	Modelled surface dust
UV index	0	Low

“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 63 around Fri 19:00, lowest 37 around Sun 05:00.

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

5-day air quality forecast for Cape Town

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	47–76	Moderate	11:00	15	11 Extreme
Sat 14 Nov	52–61	Moderate	0:00	13	11 Extreme
Sun 15 Nov	37–63	Moderate	20:00	12	11 Extreme
Mon 16 Nov	56–70	Moderate	12:00	15	12 Extreme
Tue 17 Nov	47–75	Moderate	11:00	14	11 Extreme

Common questions about the air in Cape Town

Is the air in Cape Town safe today?
For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Cape Town is 63, which counts as moderate. Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.
When is the best time to be outside in Cape Town?
Sat 06:00–9:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 53. The worst hour is around Fri 19:00, at 63.
What is the main pollutant in Cape Town?
Fine particles (PM_2.5). It drives the index right now, at 16 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.
How does Cape Town's air compare with the WHO guideline?
Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 13 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 Cape Town's air?
About 0.6 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 13 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Cape Town improve this week?
Saturday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 61, against 76 on Friday, the worst day in the forecast.

Measured near Cape Town

Station and measurements	Distance	US AQI	Level
Foreshore-NAQI OpenAQ, reference monitor PM₁₀: 20 µg/m³ · Fri 19:00 SO₂: 5.0 µg/m³ · Fri 19:00	1.2 km	18	Good
Molteno OpenAQ, reference monitor O₃: 55 µg/m³ · Fri 19:00	1.9 km	26	Good
Maitland OpenAQ, reference monitor NO₂: 6.7 µg/m³ · Fri 19:00 O₃: 41 µg/m³ · Fri 19:00 CO: 1,167 µg/m³ · Fri 19:00	8.5 km	19	Good

Air quality near Cape Town

US AQI right now. Cleanest nearby: Accra (29); worst: Kampala (83). The tick on each bar is Cape Town, at 63.

Johannesburg 1,262 km NE 59 Moderate
Kinshasa 3,295 km N 44 Good
Kampala 4,087 km NE 83 Moderate
Nairobi 4,102 km NE 54 Moderate
Lagos 4,769 km N 57 Moderate
Accra 4,811 km NW 29 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 33.92°S, 18.42°E, valid 2026-11-13 17:00 UTC.