Worst air pollution Washington, today and tomorrow

On 9 August 2026, overall air quality in Washington is fair. AQI is the main air quality indicator at 24.2/100. Pollution peaks around 12:00 PM (O3: 24.2/100).

On 10 August 2026, air quality conditions in Washington will be better than today, with AQI forecast at good at 18.3/100. Pollution peaks around 11:00 PM (O3: 18.3/100).

There's a clear yearly cycle to air quality in Washington 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. Come winter, NO₂ and PM2.5 usually creep up, as heating and calmer air let A38 traffic emissions linger rather than disperse. The shoulder seasons generally bring the mildest readings of the year.

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.