Is the air in Edinburgh safe today?

Yes. Right now the US AQI in Edinburgh is 28, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside.

When is the best time to be outside in Edinburgh?

Fri 17:00–20:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 27. The worst hour is around Sat 05:00, at 31.

What is the main pollutant in Edinburgh?

Ozone (O3). It drives the index right now, at 59 µg/m³. Formed by sunlight acting on traffic and plant emissions. Highest on hot, still afternoons, often downwind of cities.

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

Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 2.9 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 Edinburgh's air?

About 0.1 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 2.9 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.

Will air quality in Edinburgh improve this week?

Today looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 31, against 55 on Tuesday, the worst day in the forecast.

Edinburgh air quality

United Kingdom · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · valid Fri 17:00 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: 27–31US AQI, highest around Sat 05:00
Best time outside: Fri 17:00–20:00US AQI about 27
PM_2.5 vs WHO guideline: 0.2×2.9 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 Edinburgh. Switch pollutants, drag through the next 5 days or press play. Full map →

Pollutants in Edinburgh right now

Pollutant	Now	Level	Next 24 h vs WHO
Fine particles PM_2.5	2.9 µg/m³	Good	0.2×
Coarse particles PM₁₀	7.0 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Nitrogen dioxide NO₂	13 µg/m³	Good	0.2×
Ozone O₃	59 µg/m³	Good	0.7×
Sulphur dioxide SO₂	0.7 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Carbon monoxide CO	176 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Aerosol optical depth	0.07	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 31 around Sat 05:00, lowest 17 around Sun 16:00.

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

5-day air quality forecast for Edinburgh

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	23–31	Good	15:00	3.4	1 Low
Sat 14 Nov	28–31	Good	5:00	3.0	1 Low
Sun 15 Nov	17–31	Good	22:00	3.6	0 Low
Mon 16 Nov	24–33	Good	20:00	3.0	0 Low
Tue 17 Nov	27–55	Moderate	9:00	8.0	1 Low

Common questions about the air in Edinburgh

Is the air in Edinburgh safe today?
Yes. Right now the US AQI in Edinburgh is 28, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside.
When is the best time to be outside in Edinburgh?
Fri 17:00–20:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 27. The worst hour is around Sat 05:00, at 31.
What is the main pollutant in Edinburgh?
Ozone (O₃). It drives the index right now, at 59 µg/m³. Formed by sunlight acting on traffic and plant emissions. Highest on hot, still afternoons, often downwind of cities.
How does Edinburgh's air compare with the WHO guideline?
Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 2.9 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 Edinburgh's air?
About 0.1 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 2.9 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Edinburgh improve this week?
Today looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 31, against 55 on Tuesday, the worst day in the forecast.

Measured near Edinburgh

Station and measurements	Distance	US AQI	Level
Unnamed sensor OpenAQ, low-cost sensor NO₂: 12 µg/m³ · Fri 16:00 SO₂: 3.0 µg/m³ · Fri 16:00	0.9 km	6	Good
Unnamed sensor Sensor.Community, low-cost sensor PM_2.5: 1.9 µg/m³ · Fri 17:39 PM₁₀: 2.4 µg/m³ · Fri 17:39	1.8 km	11	Good
Unnamed sensor Sensor.Community, low-cost sensor PM_2.5: 0.7 µg/m³ · Fri 17:38 PM₁₀: 1.6 µg/m³ · Fri 17:38	2.0 km	4	Good

Air quality near Edinburgh

US AQI right now. Cleanest nearby: Amsterdam (38); worst: London (58). The tick on each bar is Edinburgh, at 28.

Manchester 282 km S 54 Moderate
Dublin 350 km SW 57 Moderate
London 534 km SE 58 Moderate
Amsterdam 660 km SE 38 Good
Brussels 755 km SE 55 Moderate
Paris 873 km SE 55 Moderate

All 162 cities →

About this forecast

Forecast from CAMS Europe and 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 55.95°N, 3.19°W, valid 2026-11-13 17:00 UTC.