Worst air pollution Swallow Cave Lookout - Lorne, today and tomorrow

On 17 September 2026, overall air quality in Swallow Cave Lookout is moderate. AQI is the main air quality indicator at 40.0/100. Pollution peaks around 9:00 AM (PM2.5: 40.0/100).

On 18 September 2026, air quality conditions in Swallow Cave Lookout will be better than today, with AQI forecast at fair at 22.8/100. Pollution peaks around 12:00 AM (PM2.5: 22.8/100).

Winter months routinely bring the sharpest rise in particulate matter to this area, when winter inversions trap local heating smoke in place for days at a time. Summer heat and dry surrounding vegetation push bushfire smoke to the forefront of local air quality concerns, as smoke drifting in from regional bushfires combines with the heat and sunlight that also drive ozone.

It is forecasts derived by downscaling forecasts provided by EU’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) by taking into account local conditions such as traffic patterns. CAMS bases its forecast on satellite measurements of particles and chemical compounds in the atmosphere. Airmine’s services were developed with support from the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) team.

Airmine’s forecast uses CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) as its background atmospheric model. While CAMS includes wildfire emissions, these are derived from satellite observations and are not available in real time. During rapidly evolving wildfire events, there may therefore be a delay before increased emissions are incorporated into the model. As a result, the forecast may temporarily underestimate PM₂.₅ and other pollutants associated with wildfire smoke.

During rapidly evolving wildfire events, CAMS may lag by approximately 1–2 days before increased wildfire emissions are fully represented, which can lead to temporary underestimation of PM₂.₅ concentrations in Airmine’s forecast.