Minneapolis air quality
Minnesota, United States · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · updated Sat 7:00 PM local time
Moderate
Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.
- Next 24 hours
- 39–51US AQI, highest around Sat 7:00 PM
- Best time outside
- Sun 9:00 AM–12:00 PMUS AQI about 39
- PM2.5 vs WHO guideline
- 0.6×8.5 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
- Cigarette equivalent
- ≈ 0.4 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb
- European AQI
- Fairlevel 2 of 6
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Pollutants in Minneapolis right now
| Pollutant | Now | Next 24 h vs WHO | US AQI band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 6.7 µg/m³ | 0.6× | Good |
| Coarse particles (PM10) | 6.8 µg/m³ | 0.2× | Good |
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 12 µg/m³ | 0.6× | Good |
| Ozone (O3) | 61 µg/m³ | 0.5× | Good |
| Sulphur dioxide (SO2) | 1.9 µg/m³ | 0.0× | Good |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 176 µg/m³ | 0.0× | Good |
| Desert dust | 0 µg/m³ | ||
| Smoke and haze (aerosol optical depth) | 0.18 | ||
| UV index | 0.0 |
“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 81 around Mon 12:00 PM, lowest 39 around Sun 9:00 AM.
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 | PM2.5 avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Sep 26 | 46–52 | 8.2 | ||
| Sun, Sep 27 | 39–55 | 13 | ||
| Mon, Sep 28 | 57–81 | 21 | ||
| Tue, Sep 29 | 51–72 | 11 | ||
| Wed, Sep 30 | 53–58 | 13 |
Common questions about the air in Minneapolis
Is the air in Minneapolis safe today?
For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis?
Sun 9:00 AM–12:00 PM. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 39. The worst hour is around Sat 7:00 PM, at 51.
What is the main pollutant in Minneapolis?
Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 6.7 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.
How does Minneapolis'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 Minneapolis'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 Minneapolis improve this week?
Today looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 52, against 81 on Monday, the worst day in the forecast.
Measured near Minneapolis
| Station | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis - Downtown AirNow, reference monitor | – | Sat 6:00 PM |
| Minneapolis - Near Road AirNow, reference monitor | 5.1 | Sat 6:00 PM |
| Minneapolis - Andersen School AirNow, reference monitor | 5.4 | Sat 6:00 PM |
Air quality near Minneapolis
- Chicago 571 km SE
- Detroit 872 km E
- Toronto 1,113 km E
- Denver 1,124 km SW
- Ottawa 1,375 km E
- Dallas 1,390 km S
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 44.98°N, 93.27°W, updated 2026-09-27 00:00 UTC.