Air quality
Air quality in Az Zubayr today
Updated
Moderate (US AQI 97) Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 1:04 am (22:04 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Az Zubayr, Basra, Iraq, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 97 Moderate
- PM2.5
- 68 µg/m³ 4.5× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 106 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 3 µg/m³
Air quality in Az Zubayr right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Az Zubayr, Basra, Iraq is 97, which falls in the "Moderate" band (up to 100). Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors.
PM2.5 is 68 µg/m³, 4.5 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 106 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 3 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 70 µg/m³ (above the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Az Zubayr vs the rest of Iraq
Across 22 Iraq cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 71 (Moderate). Az Zubayr at 97 is 26 points worse than average.
It ranks 22 of 22 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Al-Kut (61) and the most polluted Az Zubayr (97).
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near Az Zubayr
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basrah | 15 km | 97 | Moderate | 68 |
| Abū al-Kahṣīb | 18 km | 70 | Moderate | 35.9 |
| Khorramshahr | 47 km | 70 | Moderate | 35.9 |
| Ahvaz | 139 km | 76 | Moderate | 35.4 |
| Al Aḩmadī | 151 km | 131 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 72.6 |
| Nasiriyah | 157 km | 62 | Moderate | 12.5 |
| Al ‘Amārah | 169 km | 70 | Moderate | 24.6 |
| Al-Kut | 296 km | 61 | Moderate | 16.3 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Az Zubayr, so the numbers on this page are model estimates. Models capture regional pollution well but can miss very local sources such as a busy road or a nearby fire.
Wildfire smoke
PM2.5 is forecast to reach 68 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 915 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 8 km away). Smoke is a likely contributor: keep windows closed, run an air purifier or HVAC filter, and check the fire map before heading out.
Advice for sensitive groups
At 97, most people are fine outdoors. If you are unusually sensitive to air pollution, keep long or intense workouts to the cleaner hours shown above.
What the US AQI numbers mean
| US AQI | Category | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 0-50 | Good | Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. |
| 51-100 | Moderate | Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors. |
| 101-150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. |
| 151-200 | Unhealthy | Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed. |
| 201-300 | Very Unhealthy | Health alert: everyone should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors, and sensitive groups should stay indoors. |
| 301-500 | Hazardous | Emergency conditions: everyone should avoid all outdoor physical activity and stay indoors with filtered air if possible. The scale tops out at 500; heavier dust or smoke is shown as 500. |
Values on this page are modelled by CAMS (Copernicus) and served by Open-Meteo; they are estimates for the area around the city centre, not readings from an official monitor.
Nearby cities
More for Az Zubayr
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.