Worst air pollution Des Moines, today and tomorrow

On 1 August 2026, overall air quality in Des Moines is fair. AQI is the main air quality indicator at 35.2/100. Pollution peaks around 9:00 AM (O3: 35.2/100).

On 2 August 2026, air quality conditions in Des Moines will be similar to today, with AQI forecast at fair at 33.2/100. Pollution peaks around 7:00 AM (O3: 33.2/100).

Des Moines sees air quality change through the year. Typically, once the harvest dust settles, winter typically offers the cleanest stretch of the year, while summer heat and humidity drive ozone formation, and agricultural dust can spike particulate levels during planting and harvest. Farm-heavy surrounding land is the main source of the seasonal dust spikes.

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.