Worst air pollution Sault Ste. Marie, today and tomorrow

On 9 August 2026, overall air quality in Sault Ste. Marie is fair. AQI is the main air quality indicator at 35.7/100. Pollution peaks around 8:00 AM (O3: 35.7/100).

On 10 August 2026, air quality conditions in Sault Ste. Marie will be similar to today, with AQI forecast at fair at 35.4/100. Pollution peaks around 12:00 PM (O3: 35.4/100).

Sault Ste. Marie sees clear seasonal swings in air quality, driven in part by its steel plant on the St. Marys River bordering Michigan. Air quality is generally very good outside of wildfire season, though hot, dry summers can bring smoky, hazy stretches when fires burn across the wider region. Wind direction across the river determines how much of the industrial output drifts into town on any given day.

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.