Is the air in Zurich safe today?

Yes. Right now the US AQI in Zurich is 46, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside. It is expected to reach 56 (moderate) around Sat 07:00.

When is the best time to be outside in Zurich?

Sat 13:00–16:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 47. The worst hour is around Sat 07:00, at 56.

What is the main pollutant in Zurich?

Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 8.3 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.

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

Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 9.7 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 Zurich's air?

About 0.4 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 9.7 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.

Will air quality in Zurich improve this week?

Today looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 52, against 65 on Saturday, the worst day in the forecast.

Zurich air quality

Switzerland · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · valid Fri 18:00 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: 46–56US AQI, highest around Sat 07:00
Best time outside: Sat 13:00–16:00US AQI about 47
PM_2.5 vs WHO guideline: 0.6×9.7 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 Zurich. Switch pollutants, drag through the next 5 days or press play. Full map →

Pollutants in Zurich right now

Pollutant	Now	Level	Next 24 h vs WHO
Fine particles PM_2.5	8.3 µg/m³	Good	0.6×
Coarse particles PM₁₀	12 µg/m³	Good	0.3×
Nitrogen dioxide NO₂	26 µg/m³	Good	0.7×
Ozone O₃	42 µg/m³	Good	0.5×
Sulphur dioxide SO₂	0.7 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Carbon monoxide CO	226 µg/m³	Good	0.1×
Aerosol optical depth	0.04	Whole atmosphere · dimensionless
Desert dust	0 µg/m³	Modelled surface dust
UV index	0	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 65 around Sat 21:00, lowest 46 around Fri 18:00.

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

5-day air quality forecast for Zurich

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	29–52	Moderate	19:00	7.2	1 Low
Sat 14 Nov	46–65	Moderate	21:00	11	2 Low
Sun 15 Nov	48–64	Moderate	0:00	12	1 Low
Mon 16 Nov	21–54	Moderate	0:00	4.7	1 Low
Tue 17 Nov	20–55	Moderate	1:00	4.4	1 Low

Common questions about the air in Zurich

Is the air in Zurich safe today?
Yes. Right now the US AQI in Zurich is 46, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside. It is expected to reach 56 (moderate) around Sat 07:00.
When is the best time to be outside in Zurich?
Sat 13:00–16:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 47. The worst hour is around Sat 07:00, at 56.
What is the main pollutant in Zurich?
Fine particles (PM_2.5). It drives the index right now, at 8.3 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.
How does Zurich's air compare with the WHO guideline?
Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 9.7 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 Zurich's air?
About 0.4 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 9.7 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Zurich improve this week?
Today looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 52, against 65 on Saturday, the worst day in the forecast.

Measured near Zurich

Station and measurements	Distance	US AQI	Level
Unnamed sensor OpenAQ, low-cost sensor PM_2.5: 2.6 µg/m³ · Fri 18:00	0.8 km	14	Good
Zürich-Kaserne OpenAQ, reference monitor PM_2.5: 3.4 µg/m³ · Fri 17:00 PM₁₀: 7.0 µg/m³ · Fri 17:00 NO₂: 7.7 µg/m³ · Fri 17:00 O₃: 66 µg/m³ · Fri 17:00 SO₂: 0.5 µg/m³ · Fri 17:00 CO: 162 µg/m³ · Fri 17:00	0.8 km	31	Good
Unnamed sensor OpenAQ, low-cost sensor PM_2.5: 1.9 µg/m³ · Fri 18:00	0.9 km	11	Good

Air quality near Zurich

US AQI right now. Cleanest nearby: Lyon (40); worst: Milan (61). The tick on each bar is Zurich, at 46.

Milan 218 km S 61 Moderate
Munich 242 km E 47 Good
Frankfurt 304 km N 44 Good
Lyon 335 km SW 40 Good
Paris 488 km W 55 Moderate
Brussels 492 km NW 55 Moderate

All 162 cities →

About this forecast

Forecast from CAMS Europe and 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 47.38°N, 8.54°E, valid 2026-11-13 17:00 UTC.