Los Angeles air quality
California, United States · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · updated Sat 5:00 PM local time
Moderate
Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.
- Next 24 hours
- 77–83US AQI, highest around Sat 7:00 PM
- Best time outside
- Sun 2:00 PM–5:00 PMUS AQI about 77
- PM2.5 vs WHO guideline
- 1.5×23 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
- Cigarette equivalent
- ≈ 1.0 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb
- European AQI
- Moderatelevel 3 of 6
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Pollutants in Los Angeles right now
| Pollutant | Now | Next 24 h vs WHO | US AQI band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 19 µg/m³ | 1.5× | Moderate |
| Coarse particles (PM10) | 21 µg/m³ | 0.6× | Good |
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 21 µg/m³ | 1.8× | Good |
| Ozone (O3) | 90 µg/m³ | 0.9× | Good |
| Sulphur dioxide (SO2) | 5.7 µg/m³ | 0.1× | Good |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 151 µg/m³ | 0.1× | Good |
| Desert dust | 0 µg/m³ | ||
| Smoke and haze (aerosol optical depth) | 0.08 | ||
| UV index | 0.8 |
“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 PM2.5, 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.
Next 48 hours
Hourly US AQI. Highest 83 around Sat 7:00 PM, lowest 73 around Mon 3:00 AM.
5-day air quality forecast for Los Angeles
Daily range of the hourly US AQI, from lowest to highest, on a scale of 0 to 150.
| Day | US AQI | At worst | PM2.5 avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Sep 26 | 80–83 | 27 | ||
| Sun, Sep 27 | 75–83 | 22 | ||
| Mon, Sep 28 | 73–77 | 23 | ||
| Tue, Sep 29 | 70–76 | 20 | ||
| Wed, Sep 30 | 69–79 | 25 |
Common questions about the air in Los Angeles
Is the air in Los Angeles safe today?
For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Los Angeles is 82, which counts as moderate. Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.
When is the best time to be outside in Los Angeles?
Sun 2:00 PM–5:00 PM. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 77. The worst hour is around Sat 7:00 PM, at 83.
What is the main pollutant in Los Angeles?
Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 19 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.
How does Los Angeles's air compare with the WHO guideline?
1.5 times the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 23 µg/m³, against the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. NO2 is also forecast above its guideline level.
How many cigarettes is a day of Los Angeles's air?
About 1.0 cigarette. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 23 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Los Angeles improve this week?
Tuesday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 76, against 83 on Saturday, the worst day in the forecast.
Measured near Los Angeles
| Station | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles - N. Main Street AirNow, reference monitor | 9.6 | Sat 3:00 PM |
| Pasadena AirNow, reference monitor | – | Sat 3:00 PM |
| Pico Rivera AirNow, reference monitor | – | Sat 3:00 PM |
Air quality near Los Angeles
- San Diego 179 km SE
- Fresno 330 km NW
- Las Vegas 368 km NE
- San Francisco 559 km NW
- Phoenix 574 km E
- Sacramento 582 km NW
About this forecast
Forecast from CAMS global via Open-Meteo: the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) model at about 40 km resolution (10 km inside Europe), refreshed twice a day. Models smooth out street-level peaks, so busy roads and industrial sites can be worse than shown; ground stations, where there are any nearby, show what monitors actually measure. The US AQI follows the US EPA scale and the European AQI the EEA bands. Readings for 34.05°N, 118.24°W, updated 2026-09-27 00:00 UTC.