Worst air pollution Lake Cowichan, today and tomorrow

Today (15 July): Air quality in Lake Cowichan is poor. AQI and NO2 are poor; PM2.5 and PM1 are fair; O3 and SO2 are medium; PM10, CO, and HCHO are good. Pollution peaks around 10:00 PM (NO2: 75.7/100).
Tomorrow (16 July 2026): Air quality in Lake Cowichan is very poor. AQI worsens to very poor; NO2 increases to very poor; SO2 increases to fair; all other pollutants stay as today. Pollution peaks around 2:00 PM (NO2: 80.2/100). Airmine updates local air quality forecasts four times daily.

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Developed with support from the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) team

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Lake Cowichan's air quality reflects its forested valley position, with historic logging operations and occasional summer wildfire smoke the main local concerns.

Today - 15 July | Pollution peaks at 22:00

AQI:

Poor

75.7/100

PM2.5 (fine particles):

Fair

32.0/100

PM10 (coarse particles):

Good

12.8/100

NO2 (nitrogen dioxide):

Poor

75.7/100

O3 (ozone):

Medium

40.3/100

SO2 (sulfur dioxide):

Medium

40.3/100

CO (carbon monoxide):

Good

0.0/100

HCHO (formaldehyde):

Good

4.5/100

PM1 (ultrafine particles):

Fair

32.2/100

Levels show the poorest local air quality during the day

Tomorrow - 16 July | Pollution peaks at 14:00

AQI:

Very poor

80.2/100

PM2.5 (fine particles):

Fair

37.2/100

PM10 (coarse particles):

Good

13.3/100

NO2 (nitrogen dioxide):

Very poor

80.2/100

O3 (ozone):

Medium

49.1/100

SO2 (sulfur dioxide):

Fair

30.2/100

CO (carbon monoxide):

Good

0.0/100

HCHO (formaldehyde):

Good

6.8/100

PM1 (ultrafine particles):

Fair

38.5/100

Pollen forecast in Lake Cowichan

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is air quality bad in Lake Cowichan right now?

On 15 July 2026, overall air quality in Lake Cowichan is poor. AQI is the main air quality indicator at 75.7/100. Pollution peaks around 10:00 PM (NO2: 75.7/100).

Will air quality be worse tomorrow in Lake Cowichan?

On 16 July 2026, air quality conditions in Lake Cowichan will be worse than today, with AQI forecast at very poor at 80.2/100. Pollution peaks around 2:00 PM (NO2: 80.2/100).

When is air pollution at its worst in Lake Cowichan?

Lake Cowichan sees clear seasonal swings in air quality, driven in part by its lakeside forestry setting on Vancouver Island. Winter brings frequent rain that keeps the air clean and washed, while summer's drier stretches can occasionally trap traffic emissions and, in bad wildfire years, smoke drifting in from the BC Interior. Frequent Pacific storms during the cooler months usually clear the air completely within a day.

Are air quality levels in Lake Cowichan based on measurements or forecasts?

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.

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Data provided by Airmine — Last update: 16 July 2026 at 10:33 CEST (Data is updated four times daily.)

This forecast is produced independently using Airmine's own atmospheric data and models.

Unless explicitly made clear, the content on this site has not been paid for by external organisations and is Airmine's sole responsibility.

For long term forecasts and maps, see the Airmine app