Is the air in Salt Lake City safe today?

Yes. Right now the US AQI in Salt Lake City is 38, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside. It is expected to reach 64 (moderate) around Fri 10:00 PM.

When is the best time to be outside in Salt Lake City?

Sat 2:00 AM–5:00 AM. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 31. The worst hour is around Fri 10:00 PM, at 64.

What is the main pollutant in Salt Lake City?

Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 6.9 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.

How does Salt Lake City's air compare with the WHO guideline?

Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 6.7 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 Salt Lake City's air?

About 0.3 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 6.7 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.

Will air quality in Salt Lake City improve this week?

Saturday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 58, against 83 on Sunday, the worst day in the forecast.

Salt Lake City air quality

Utah, United States · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · valid Fri 10:00 AM local time

Good

US AQI, mostly PM_2.5

Model estimate. Nearby measurements are shown separately.

Great air. A perfect time to be outside.

Next 24 hours: 29–64US AQI, highest around Fri 10:00 PM
Best time outside: Sat 2:00 AM–5:00 AMUS AQI about 31
PM_2.5 vs WHO guideline: 0.4×6.7 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
Cigarette equivalent: ≈ 0.3 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb

Loading the live globe…

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

Pollutants in Salt Lake City right now

Pollutant	Now	Level	Next 24 h vs WHO
Fine particles PM_2.5	6.9 µg/m³	Good	0.4×
Coarse particles PM₁₀	7.0 µg/m³	Good	0.5×
Nitrogen dioxide NO₂	31 µg/m³	Good	0.6×
Ozone O₃	48 µg/m³	Good	0.9×
Sulphur dioxide SO₂	0.5 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Carbon monoxide CO	184 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Aerosol optical depth	0.06	Whole atmosphere · dimensionless
Desert dust	10 µg/m³	Modelled surface dust
UV index	2	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 64 around Fri 10:00 PM, lowest 18 around Sun 8:00 AM.

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

5-day air quality forecast for Salt Lake City

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	32–72	Moderate	12:00 AM	10	2 Low
Sat, Nov 14	26–58	Moderate	11:00 PM	4.1	1 Low
Sun, Nov 15	18–83	Moderate	10:00 PM	10.0	3 Moderate
Mon, Nov 16	32–73	Moderate	8:00 PM	12	3 Moderate
Tue, Nov 17	18–71	Moderate	12:00 AM	6.4	1 Low

Common questions about the air in Salt Lake City

Is the air in Salt Lake City safe today?
Yes. Right now the US AQI in Salt Lake City is 38, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside. It is expected to reach 64 (moderate) around Fri 10:00 PM.
When is the best time to be outside in Salt Lake City?
Sat 2:00 AM–5:00 AM. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 31. The worst hour is around Fri 10:00 PM, at 64.
What is the main pollutant in Salt Lake City?
Fine particles (PM_2.5). It drives the index right now, at 6.9 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.
How does Salt Lake City's air compare with the WHO guideline?
Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 6.7 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 Salt Lake City's air?
About 0.3 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 6.7 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Salt Lake City improve this week?
Saturday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 58, against 83 on Sunday, the worst day in the forecast.

Measured near Salt Lake City

Station and measurements	Distance	US AQI	Level
Hawthorne OpenAQ, reference monitor PM_2.5: 4.5 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM PM₁₀: 18 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM NO₂: 56 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM O₃: 14 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM SO₂: 3.1 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM CO: 229 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM	3.4 km	27	Good
Utah Tech. Center OpenAQ, reference monitor PM_2.5: 2.9 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM PM₁₀: 35 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM NO₂: 37 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM O₃: 37 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM SO₂: 2.6 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM	4.9 km	32	Good
Rose Park OpenAQ, reference monitor PM_2.5: 3.1 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM NO₂: 27 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM O₃: 47 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM SO₂: 1.6 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM CO: 0.0 µg/m³ · Fri 9:00 AM	5.1 km	21	Good

Air quality near Salt Lake City

US AQI right now. Cleanest nearby: Sacramento (29); worst: Phoenix (53). The tick on each bar is Salt Lake City, at 38.

Las Vegas 583 km SW 52 Moderate
Denver 596 km E 46 Good
Phoenix 813 km S 53 Moderate
Fresno 817 km SW 33 Good
Sacramento 856 km W 29 Good
Los Angeles 933 km SW 51 Moderate

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 40.76°N, 111.89°W, valid 2026-11-13 17:00 UTC.