Is the air in Kraków safe today?

For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Kraków is 75, which counts as moderate. Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.

When is the best time to be outside in Kraków?

Sat 12:00–15:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 42. The worst hour is around Fri 21:00, at 94.

What is the main pollutant in Kraków?

Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 22 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.

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

About at the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 16 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 Kraków's air?

About 0.7 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 16 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.

Will air quality in Kraków improve this week?

Monday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 145, against 176 on Sunday, the worst day in the forecast.

Kraków air quality

Poland · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · valid Fri 18:00 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: 39–94US AQI, highest around Fri 21:00
Best time outside: Sat 12:00–15:00US AQI about 42
PM_2.5 vs WHO guideline: 1.0×16 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
Cigarette equivalent: ≈ 0.7 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb

Loading the live globe…

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

Pollutants in Kraków right now

Pollutant	Now	Level	Next 24 h vs WHO
Fine particles PM_2.5	22 µg/m³	Moderate	1.0×
Coarse particles PM₁₀	29 µg/m³	Good	0.4×
Nitrogen dioxide NO₂	24 µg/m³	Good	0.6×
Ozone O₃	33 µg/m³	Good	0.5×
Sulphur dioxide SO₂	7.1 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Carbon monoxide CO	295 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Aerosol optical depth	0.08	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 168 around Sat 23:00, lowest 39 around Sat 13:00.

50100150

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

5-day air quality forecast for Kraków

Daily range of the hourly US AQI, from lowest to highest, on a scale of 0 to 200.

Day	US AQI	At worst	Worst hour	PM_2.5 avg	UV max
Fri 13 Nov	33–163	Unhealthy	0:00	22	1 Low
Sat 14 Nov	39–168	Unhealthy	23:00	24	1 Low
Sun 15 Nov	64–176	Unhealthy	20:00	44	1 Low
Mon 16 Nov	60–145	Sensitive	18:00	29	1 Low
Tue 17 Nov	74–164	Unhealthy	21:00	42	1 Low

Common questions about the air in Kraków

Is the air in Kraków safe today?
For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Kraków is 75, which counts as moderate. Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.
When is the best time to be outside in Kraków?
Sat 12:00–15:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 42. The worst hour is around Fri 21:00, at 94.
What is the main pollutant in Kraków?
Fine particles (PM_2.5). It drives the index right now, at 22 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.
How does Kraków's air compare with the WHO guideline?
About at the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 16 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 Kraków's air?
About 0.7 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 16 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Kraków improve this week?
Monday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 145, against 176 on Sunday, the worst day in the forecast.

Measured near Kraków

Station and measurements	Distance	US AQI	Level
Kraków, Aleja Krasińskiego OpenAQ, reference monitor PM_2.5: 11 µg/m³ · Fri 17:00 CO: 399 µg/m³ · Fri 17:00	1.6 km	55	Moderate
Unnamed sensor Sensor.Community, low-cost sensor PM_2.5: 4.6 µg/m³ · Fri 18:38 PM₁₀: 10 µg/m³ · Fri 18:38	1.6 km	26	Good
Unnamed sensor Sensor.Community, low-cost sensor PM_2.5: 6.5 µg/m³ · Fri 18:39 PM₁₀: 13 µg/m³ · Fri 18:39	3.0 km	36	Good

Air quality near Kraków

US AQI right now. Cleanest nearby: Berlin (28); worst: Warsaw (71). The tick on each bar is Kraków, at 75.

Warsaw 252 km N 71 Moderate
Budapest 293 km S 47 Good
Vienna 332 km SW 47 Good
Prague 393 km W 46 Good
Berlin 530 km NW 28 Good
Belgrade 588 km S 52 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 50.06°N, 19.95°E, valid 2026-11-13 17:00 UTC.