Worst air pollution Rio de Janeiro, today and tomorrow

On 18 July 2026, overall air quality in Rio de Janeiro is good. AQI is the main air quality indicator at 16.6/100. Pollution peaks around 11:00 PM (O3: 16.6/100).

On 19 July 2026, air quality conditions in Rio de Janeiro will be similar to today, with AQI forecast at good at 19.9/100. Pollution peaks around 11:00 PM (O3: 19.9/100).

Rio de Janeiro residents notice reduced air quality mainly when native Atlantic Forest species including ficus and mango alongside introduced trees pollen peaks, and during spells of rio de Janeiro's air quality varies dramatically between the open Atlantic beachfronts of Copacabana; a change of season or a spell of wind usually clears things up again.

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.