Is the air in Minneapolis safe today?

Yes. Right now the US AQI in Minneapolis is 29, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside. It is expected to reach 70 (moderate) around Sat 8:00 AM.

When is the best time to be outside in Minneapolis?

Fri 2:00 PM–5:00 PM. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 31. The worst hour is around Sat 8:00 AM, at 70.

What is the main pollutant in Minneapolis?

Ozone (O3). It drives the index right now, at 62 µg/m³. Formed by sunlight acting on traffic and plant emissions. Highest on hot, still afternoons, often downwind of cities.

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

Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 11 µg/m³, against the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. NO2 is forecast above its guideline level.

How many cigarettes is a day of Minneapolis's air?

About 0.5 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 11 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.

Will air quality in Minneapolis improve this week?

Tuesday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 53, against 78 on Saturday, the worst day in the forecast.

Minneapolis air quality

Minnesota, United States · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · valid Fri 11:00 AM 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: 26–70US AQI, highest around Sat 8:00 AM
Best time outside: Fri 2:00 PM–5:00 PMUS AQI about 31
PM_2.5 vs WHO guideline: 0.7×11 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
Cigarette equivalent: ≈ 0.5 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb

Loading the live globe…

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

Pollutants in Minneapolis right now

Pollutant	Now	Level	Next 24 h vs WHO
Fine particles PM_2.5	3.2 µg/m³	Good	0.7×
Coarse particles PM₁₀	3.3 µg/m³	Good	0.2×
Nitrogen dioxide NO₂	8.2 µg/m³	Good	1.4×
Ozone O₃	62 µg/m³	Good	0.6×
Sulphur dioxide SO₂	0.7 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Carbon monoxide CO	176 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Aerosol optical depth	0.04	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 78 around Sat 7:00 PM, lowest 26 around Fri 4:00 PM.

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

5-day air quality forecast for Minneapolis

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	26–63	Moderate	11:00 PM	7.1	1 Low
Sat, Nov 14	32–78	Moderate	7:00 PM	14	2 Low
Sun, Nov 15	49–63	Moderate	12:00 AM	11	2 Low
Mon, Nov 16	39–56	Moderate	9:00 AM	8.6	2 Low
Tue, Nov 17	32–53	Moderate	8:00 AM	7.4	2 Low

Common questions about the air in Minneapolis

Is the air in Minneapolis safe today?
Yes. Right now the US AQI in Minneapolis is 29, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside. It is expected to reach 70 (moderate) around Sat 8:00 AM.
When is the best time to be outside in Minneapolis?
Fri 2:00 PM–5:00 PM. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 31. The worst hour is around Sat 8:00 AM, at 70.
What is the main pollutant in Minneapolis?
Ozone (O₃). It drives the index right now, at 62 µg/m³. Formed by sunlight acting on traffic and plant emissions. Highest on hot, still afternoons, often downwind of cities.
How does Minneapolis's air compare with the WHO guideline?
Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 11 µg/m³, against the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. NO₂ is forecast above its guideline level.
How many cigarettes is a day of Minneapolis's air?
About 0.5 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 11 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Minneapolis improve this week?
Tuesday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 53, against 78 on Saturday, the worst day in the forecast.

Measured near Minneapolis

Station and measurements	Distance	US AQI	Level
Unnamed sensor OpenAQ, low-cost sensor PM_2.5: 0.0 µg/m³ · Fri 11:00 AM	0.6 km	0	Good
Minneapolis - Downtown AirNow, reference monitor SO₂: 0.8 µg/m³ · Fri 10:00 AM CO: 458 µg/m³ · Fri 10:00 AM	0.7 km	5	Good
Minneapolis - Near Road AirNow, reference monitor PM_2.5: 3.8 µg/m³ · Fri 10:00 AM NO₂: 30 µg/m³ · Fri 10:00 AM CO: 458 µg/m³ · Fri 10:00 AM	1.6 km	21	Good

Air quality near Minneapolis

US AQI right now. Cleanest nearby: Detroit (24); worst: Denver (46). The tick on each bar is Minneapolis, at 29.

Chicago 571 km SE 32 Good
Detroit 872 km E 24 Good
Toronto 1,113 km E 30 Good
Denver 1,124 km SW 46 Good
Ottawa 1,375 km E 30 Good
Dallas 1,390 km S 26 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 44.98°N, 93.27°W, valid 2026-11-13 17:00 UTC.