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Zurich air quality

Switzerland · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · updated Sun 02:00 local time

51

Moderate

US AQI, mostly PM2.5

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

Next 24 hours
41–51US AQI, highest around Sun 02:00
Best time outside
Sun 14:00–17:00US AQI about 41
PM2.5 vs WHO guideline
0.5×7.6 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
Cigarette equivalent
≈ 0.3 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb
European AQI
Fairlevel 2 of 6

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

Pollutants in Zurich right now

PollutantNowNext 24 h vs WHOUS AQI band
Fine particles (PM2.5) 7.5 µg/m³ 0.5× Good
Coarse particles (PM10) 10 µg/m³ 0.3× Good
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) 18 µg/m³ 0.6× Good
Ozone (O3) 39 µg/m³ 0.9× Good
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) 0.4 µg/m³ 0.0× Good
Carbon monoxide (CO) 201 µg/m³ 0.0× Good
Desert dust0 µg/m³
Smoke and haze (aerosol optical depth)0.04
UV index0.0

“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 51 around Sun 02:00, lowest 41 around Sun 14:00.

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.

DayUS AQIAt worstWorst hourPM2.5 avgUV max
Sun 27 Sept 41–51 Moderate 0:00 7.5 4.8
Mon 28 Sept 42–45 Good 11:00 8.0 4.6
Tue 29 Sept 44–55 Moderate 23:00 12 3.6
Wed 30 Sept 55–65 Moderate 23:00 18 4.2
Thu 1 Oct 67–77 Moderate 15:00 27 3.8

Common questions about the air in Zurich

  1. Is the air in Zurich safe today?

    For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Zurich is 51, which counts as moderate. Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.

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

    Sun 14:00–17:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 41. The worst hour is around Sun 02:00, at 51.

  3. What is the main pollutant in Zurich?

    Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 7.5 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.

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

    Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 7.6 µg/m³, against the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. The other pollutants stay within their guideline levels.

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

    About 0.3 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 7.6 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 Zurich improve this week?

    Monday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 45, against 77 on Thursday, the worst day in the forecast.

Measured near Zurich

StationDistancePM2.5 µg/m³Measured
Unnamed sensor Sensor.Community, low-cost sensor 1.0 km 1.5 Sun 01:49
Unnamed sensor Sensor.Community, low-cost sensor 1.1 km 3.1 Sun 01:49
Unnamed sensor Sensor.Community, low-cost sensor 2.1 km 2.6 Sun 01:49

Air quality near Zurich

All 161 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 (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 47.38°N, 8.54°E, updated 2026-09-27 00:00 UTC.