airy.earth

Shanghai air quality

China · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · updated Sun 08:00 local time

94

Moderate

US AQI, mostly PM2.5

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

Next 24 hours
85–101US AQI, highest around Mon 03:00
Best time outside
Sun 17:00–20:00US AQI about 86
PM2.5 vs WHO guideline
2.3×35 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
Cigarette equivalent
≈ 1.6 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb
European AQI
Poorlevel 4 of 6

Loading the live globe…

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

Pollutants in Shanghai right now

PollutantNowNext 24 h vs WHOUS AQI band
Fine particles (PM2.5) 33 µg/m³ 2.3× Moderate
Coarse particles (PM10) 36 µg/m³ 0.8× Good
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) 69 µg/m³ 2.5× Good
Ozone (O3) 41 µg/m³ 1.0× Good
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) 7.4 µg/m³ 0.4× Good
Carbon monoxide (CO) 379 µg/m³ 0.1× Good
Desert dust0 µg/m³
Smoke and haze (aerosol optical depth)0.73
UV index0.4

“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 101 around Mon 03:00, lowest 70 around Tue 06:00.

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

5-day air quality forecast for Shanghai

Daily range of the hourly US AQI, from lowest to highest, on a scale of 0 to 150.

DayUS AQIAt worstWorst hourPM2.5 avgUV max
Sun 27 Sept 85–106 Sensitive 0:00 34 3.0
Mon 28 Sept 80–101 Sensitive 3:00 24 2.6
Tue 29 Sept 70–81 Moderate 23:00 27 2.9
Wed 30 Sept 84–100 Moderate 22:00 35 4.3
Thu 1 Oct 96–99 Moderate 0:00 32 3.3

Common questions about the air in Shanghai

  1. Is the air in Shanghai safe today?

    For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Shanghai is 94, which counts as moderate. Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort. It is expected to reach 101 (unhealthy for sensitive groups) around Mon 03:00.

  2. When is the best time to be outside in Shanghai?

    Sun 17:00–20:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 86. The worst hour is around Mon 03:00, at 101.

  3. What is the main pollutant in Shanghai?

    Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 33 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.

  4. How does Shanghai's air compare with the WHO guideline?

    2.3 times the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 35 µg/m³, against the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. NO2 and O3 are also forecast above their guideline levels.

  5. How many cigarettes is a day of Shanghai's air?

    About 1.6 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 35 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.

  6. Will air quality in Shanghai improve this week?

    Tuesday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 81, against 106 on Sunday, the worst day in the forecast.

Air quality near Shanghai

All 161 cities

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 31.23°N, 121.47°E, updated 2026-09-27 00:00 UTC.