Is the air in Los Angeles safe today?

For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Los Angeles is 51, 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?

Fri 12:00 PM–3:00 PM. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 34. The worst hour is around Sat 8:00 AM, at 64.

What is the main pollutant in Los Angeles?

Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 9.2 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?

Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 8.5 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 Los Angeles's air?

About 0.4 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 8.5 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 60, against 106 on Monday, the worst day in the forecast.

Los Angeles air quality

California, United States · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · valid Fri 9:00 AM 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: 32–64US AQI, highest around Sat 8:00 AM
Best time outside: Fri 12:00 PM–3:00 PMUS AQI about 34
PM_2.5 vs WHO guideline: 0.6×8.5 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
Cigarette equivalent: ≈ 0.4 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb

Loading the live globe…

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

Pollutants in Los Angeles right now

Pollutant	Now	Level	Next 24 h vs WHO
Fine particles PM_2.5	9.2 µg/m³	Moderate	0.6×
Coarse particles PM₁₀	10 µg/m³	Good	0.2×
Nitrogen dioxide NO₂	32 µg/m³	Good	1.0×
Ozone O₃	40 µg/m³	Good	0.7×
Sulphur dioxide SO₂	4.1 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Carbon monoxide CO	269 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Aerosol optical depth	0.10	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 92 around Sat 10:00 PM, lowest 32 around Fri 12:00 PM.

50100

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

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	Worst hour	PM_2.5 avg	UV max
Fri, Nov 13	32–63	Moderate	1:00 AM	8.7	2 Low
Sat, Nov 14	44–92	Moderate	10:00 PM	17	3 Moderate
Sun, Nov 15	62–102	Sensitive	11:00 PM	22	4 Moderate
Mon, Nov 16	50–106	Sensitive	2:00 AM	22	3 Moderate
Tue, Nov 17	44–60	Moderate	8:00 AM	9.8	3 Moderate

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 51, 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?
Fri 12:00 PM–3:00 PM. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 34. The worst hour is around Sat 8:00 AM, at 64.
What is the main pollutant in Los Angeles?
Fine particles (PM_2.5). It drives the index right now, at 9.2 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?
Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 8.5 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 Los Angeles's air?
About 0.4 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 8.5 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 60, against 106 on Monday, the worst day in the forecast.

Measured near Los Angeles

Station and measurements	Distance	US AQI	Level
Unnamed sensor OpenAQ, low-cost sensor PM_2.5: 4.2 µg/m³ · Fri 9:04 AM	1.5 km	23	Good
Unnamed sensor OpenAQ, low-cost sensor PM_2.5: 6.3 µg/m³ · Fri 9:02 AM	1.8 km	35	Good
Unnamed sensor OpenAQ, low-cost sensor PM_2.5: 4.2 µg/m³ · Fri 9:06 AM	2.2 km	23	Good

Air quality near Los Angeles

US AQI right now. Cleanest nearby: San Diego (26); worst: Phoenix (53). The tick on each bar is Los Angeles, at 51.

San Diego 179 km SE 26 Good
Fresno 330 km NW 33 Good
Las Vegas 368 km NE 52 Moderate
San Francisco 559 km NW 41 Good
Phoenix 574 km E 53 Moderate
Sacramento 582 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 34.05°N, 118.24°W, valid 2026-11-13 17:00 UTC.