Worst air pollution Birmingham, today and tomorrow

On 20 September 2026, overall air quality in Birmingham is fair. AQI is the main air quality indicator at 20.6/100. Pollution peaks around 9:00 AM (PM10: 20.6/100).

On 21 September 2026, air quality conditions in Birmingham will be worse than today, with AQI forecast at moderate at 45.4/100. Pollution peaks around 10:00 PM (NO2: 45.4/100).

There's a clear yearly cycle to air quality in Birmingham if you look closely. By summer, ozone tends to rise on bright days, while better ventilation generally keeps particulate and NO₂ levels lower than winter. Winter mornings can be the trickiest, with cold, still conditions trapping A9 traffic fumes and smoke from home fires close to the ground. For much of spring and autumn, things settle into a fairly unremarkable middle ground.

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.