Worst air pollution Southend, today and tomorrow

On 9 August 2026, overall air quality in Southend is poor. AQI is the main air quality indicator at 78.1/100. Pollution peaks around 6:00 AM (NO2: 78.1/100).

On 10 August 2026, air quality conditions in Southend will be better than today, with AQI forecast at fair at 35.7/100. Pollution peaks around 6:00 AM (NO2: 35.7/100).

Southend's air quality follows a familiar seasonal pattern most UK towns share. The coldest months usually bring the worst readings, as heating and temperature inversions keep A26 emissions from dispersing normally. Come summer, it's ozone rather than particulates that's the bigger concern, especially on still, sunny days. Most of spring and autumn stays fairly steady, right in the middle of those two extremes.

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.