Worst air pollution Old City - Philadelphia, today and tomorrow

On 18 July 2026, overall air quality in Old City is fair. AQI is the main air quality indicator at 34.6/100. Pollution peaks around 9:00 AM (O3: 34.6/100).

On 19 July 2026, air quality conditions in Old City will be similar to today, with AQI forecast at fair at 34.3/100. Pollution peaks around 8:00 AM (O3: 34.3/100).

Old City experiences the same seasonal air quality swings as the rest of Philadelphia: the cleanest stretch of the year usually comes in winter, but hot, humid summer conditions and regional haze drive ozone spikes, especially during heat waves. Suburban and rural areas generally see less of the persistent traffic-driven pollution that affects the urban core.

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.