Worst air pollution Extension 10 - Witbank, today and tomorrow

On 9 August 2026, overall air quality in Extension 10 is medium. AQI is the main air quality indicator at 53.6/100. Pollution peaks around 3:00 PM (O3: 53.6/100).

On 10 August 2026, air quality conditions in Extension 10 will be worse than today, with AQI forecast at fair at 31.2/100. Pollution peaks around 2:00 AM (PM1: 31.2/100).

The worst air quality at Extension 10 shows up on calm winter mornings, when emissions tied to coal mining and power station 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.