Is the air in Detroit safe today?

Yes. Right now the US AQI in Detroit is 24, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside.

When is the best time to be outside in Detroit?

Sat 5:00 AM–8:00 AM. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 18. The worst hour is around Fri 3:00 PM, at 29.

What is the main pollutant in Detroit?

Ozone (O3). It drives the index right now, at 52 µg/m³. Formed by sunlight acting on traffic and plant emissions. Highest on hot, still afternoons, often downwind of cities.

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

Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 3.1 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 Detroit's air?

About 0.1 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 3.1 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.

Will air quality in Detroit improve this week?

Saturday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 27, against 68 on Tuesday, the worst day in the forecast.

Detroit air quality

Michigan, United States · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · valid Fri 12:00 PM 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: 17–29US AQI, highest around Fri 3:00 PM
Best time outside: Sat 5:00 AM–8:00 AMUS AQI about 18
PM_2.5 vs WHO guideline: 0.2×3.1 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
Cigarette equivalent: ≈ 0.1 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb

Loading the live globe…

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

Pollutants in Detroit right now

Pollutant	Now	Level	Next 24 h vs WHO
Fine particles PM_2.5	2.6 µg/m³	Good	0.2×
Coarse particles PM₁₀	2.7 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Nitrogen dioxide NO₂	13 µg/m³	Good	0.6×
Ozone O₃	52 µg/m³	Good	0.5×
Sulphur dioxide SO₂	1.4 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Carbon monoxide CO	144 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Aerosol optical depth	0.05	Whole atmosphere · dimensionless
Desert dust	0 µg/m³	Modelled surface dust
UV index	1	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 29 around Fri 3:00 PM, lowest 17 around Sat 7:00 AM.

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

5-day air quality forecast for Detroit

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	19–29	Good	2:00 AM	3.0	1 Low
Sat, Nov 14	17–27	Good	3:00 PM	2.9	1 Low
Sun, Nov 15	19–62	Moderate	11:00 PM	5.1	1 Low
Mon, Nov 16	30–67	Moderate	8:00 AM	13	2 Low
Tue, Nov 17	51–68	Moderate	9:00 AM	15	2 Low

Common questions about the air in Detroit

Is the air in Detroit safe today?
Yes. Right now the US AQI in Detroit is 24, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside.
When is the best time to be outside in Detroit?
Sat 5:00 AM–8:00 AM. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 18. The worst hour is around Fri 3:00 PM, at 29.
What is the main pollutant in Detroit?
Ozone (O₃). It drives the index right now, at 52 µg/m³. Formed by sunlight acting on traffic and plant emissions. Highest on hot, still afternoons, often downwind of cities.
How does Detroit's air compare with the WHO guideline?
Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 3.1 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 Detroit's air?
About 0.1 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 3.1 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Detroit improve this week?
Saturday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 27, against 68 on Tuesday, the worst day in the forecast.

Measured near Detroit

Station and measurements	Distance	US AQI	Level
Windsor Downtown OpenAQ, reference monitor NO₂: 17 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM O₃: 39 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM SO₂: 0.0 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM CO: 0.0 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM	1.7 km	19	Good
Unnamed sensor OpenAQ, low-cost sensor PM_2.5: 0.0 µg/m³ · Fri 12:00 PM	4.3 km	0	Good
Detroit-DP4th AirNow, reference monitor PM_2.5: 2.9 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM NO₂: 24 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM SO₂: 1.3 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM CO: 0.0 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM	4.3 km	16	Good

Air quality near Detroit

US AQI right now. Cleanest nearby: Philadelphia (19); worst: Chicago (32). The tick on each bar is Detroit, at 24.

Toronto 332 km NE 30 Good
Chicago 381 km W 32 Good
Washington, D.C. 634 km SE 32 Good
Ottawa 682 km NE 30 Good
Philadelphia 711 km E 19 Good
New York 773 km E 28 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 42.33°N, 83.05°W, valid 2026-11-13 17:00 UTC.