Worst air pollution Bethulie, today and tomorrow

On 20 September 2026, overall air quality in Bethulie is moderate. AQI is the main air quality indicator at 55.7/100. Pollution peaks around 9:00 AM (PM2.5: 55.7/100).

On 21 September 2026, air quality conditions in Bethulie will be similar to today, with AQI forecast at moderate at 52.9/100. Pollution peaks around 9:00 AM (PM2.5: 52.9/100).

The worst air quality at Bethulie shows up on calm winter mornings, when emissions tied to maize, sunflower, and grain farming operations settle under the kind of low inversion that's common across the Highveld. That pattern breaks once the summer rains and stronger winds arrive from November onward. This is a familiar pattern across much of the Highveld.

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.