Is the air in Medellín safe today?

For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Medellín is 58, which counts as moderate. Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.

When is the best time to be outside in Medellín?

Sat 04:00–7:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 29. The worst hour is around Sat 11:00, at 67.

What is the main pollutant in Medellín?

Ozone (O3). It drives the index right now, at 112 µg/m³. Formed by sunlight acting on traffic and plant emissions. Highest on hot, still afternoons, often downwind of cities.

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

Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 7.8 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 Medellín's air?

About 0.4 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 7.8 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.

Will air quality in Medellín improve this week?

Today looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 67, against 80 on Sunday, the worst day in the forecast.

Medellín air quality

Colombia · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · valid Fri 12:00 local time

Moderate

US AQI, mostly O₃

Model estimate. Nearby measurements are shown separately.

Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.

Next 24 hours: 24–67US AQI, highest around Sat 11:00
Best time outside: Sat 04:00–7:00US AQI about 29
PM_2.5 vs WHO guideline: 0.5×7.8 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 Medellín. Switch pollutants, drag through the next 5 days or press play. Full map →

Pollutants in Medellín right now

Pollutant	Now	Level	Next 24 h vs WHO
Fine particles PM_2.5	6.7 µg/m³	Good	0.5×
Coarse particles PM₁₀	7.0 µg/m³	Good	0.2×
Nitrogen dioxide NO₂	0.7 µg/m³	Good	0.5×
Ozone O₃	112 µg/m³	Moderate	0.7×
Sulphur dioxide SO₂	3.1 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Carbon monoxide CO	210 µg/m³	Good	0.2×
Aerosol optical depth	0.19	Whole atmosphere · dimensionless
Desert dust	0 µg/m³	Modelled surface dust
UV index	9	Very high

“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 80 around Sun 11:00, lowest 24 around Sat 04:00.

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

5-day air quality forecast for Medellín

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	38–67	Moderate	11:00	9.6	12 Extreme
Sat 14 Nov	24–67	Moderate	11:00	8.2	9 Very high
Sun 15 Nov	32–80	Moderate	11:00	8.8	10 Very high
Mon 16 Nov	37–80	Moderate	12:00	9.1	8 Very high
Tue 17 Nov	34–80	Moderate	11:00	11	10 Very high

Common questions about the air in Medellín

Is the air in Medellín safe today?
For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Medellín is 58, which counts as moderate. Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.
When is the best time to be outside in Medellín?
Sat 04:00–7:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 29. The worst hour is around Sat 11:00, at 67.
What is the main pollutant in Medellín?
Ozone (O₃). It drives the index right now, at 112 µg/m³. Formed by sunlight acting on traffic and plant emissions. Highest on hot, still afternoons, often downwind of cities.
How does Medellín's air compare with the WHO guideline?
Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 7.8 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 Medellín's air?
About 0.4 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 7.8 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Medellín improve this week?
Today looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 67, against 80 on Sunday, the worst day in the forecast.

Air quality near Medellín

US AQI right now. Cleanest nearby: La Paz (27); worst: Lima (71). The tick on each bar is Medellín, at 58.

Bogotá 239 km SE 31 Good
Quito 783 km SW 48 Good
Caracas 1,064 km NE 38 Good
Lima 2,040 km S 71 Moderate
Miami 2,225 km N 59 Moderate
La Paz 2,658 km S 27 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 6.24°N, 75.58°W, valid 2026-11-13 17:00 UTC.