Air quality
Air quality in Bamenda today
Updated
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (US AQI 126) People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 1:00 am (00:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Bamenda, North-West, Cameroon, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 126 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
- PM2.5
- 66 µg/m³ 4.4× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 81 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 16 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 126
- Best hour today
- 7:00 pm AQI 124
- European AQI
- 68
Air quality in Bamenda right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Bamenda, North-West, Cameroon is 126, which falls in the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" band (up to 150). People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
The index is driven mainly by PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 126. Fine and coarse particles come from traffic, heating, industry, dust and smoke; they build up on calm nights and clear when wind or rain arrives.
PM2.5 is 66 µg/m³, 4.4 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 81 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 16 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 14 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: carbon monoxide 598 µg/m³.
Bamenda AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 120 around Tue 1:00 am to 131 around Mon 8:00 am, staying "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" throughout.
The following day is expected to be cleaner, averaging about 92 against 127 for the next 24 hours.
| Local time (Africa/Douala) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1:00 am | 126 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 66.4 | 81 | 16 |
| Mon 4:00 am | 128 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 66.4 | 83 | 22 |
| Mon 7:00 am | 130 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 76.4 | 92 | 27 |
| Mon 10:00 am | 130 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 31.2 | 58 | 82 |
| Mon 1:00 pm | 129 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 25.1 | 47 | 78 |
| Mon 4:00 pm | 126 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 20.7 | 33 | 61 |
| Mon 7:00 pm | 124 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 29.5 | 39 | 45 |
| Mon 10:00 pm | 124 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 47.4 | 57 | 32 |
| Tue 1:00 am | 120 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 34.2 | 42 | 38 |
| Tue 4:00 am | 108 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 20 | 25 | 38 |
| Tue 7:00 am | 95 | Moderate | 29.7 | 35 | 27 |
| Tue 10:00 am | 88 | Moderate | 19.7 | 33 | 80 |
| Tue 1:00 pm | 86 | Moderate | 19.7 | 34 | 81 |
| Tue 4:00 pm | 85 | Moderate | 18.7 | 28 | 61 |
| Tue 7:00 pm | 84 | Moderate | 21.9 | 27 | 43 |
| Tue 10:00 pm | 83 | Moderate | 40.3 | 46 | 30 |
| Wed 1:00 am | 80 | Moderate | 37.1 | 41 | 17 |
Every third hour of the CAMS forecast via Open-Meteo. US AQI uses rolling averages (24 h for particles, 8 h for ozone), so it moves more slowly than the hourly concentrations.
Best time to be outside in Bamenda today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 7:00 pm (AQI 124, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) and the worst around 8:00 am (AQI 131). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
Bamenda vs the rest of Cameroon
Across 6 Cameroon cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 95 (Moderate). Bamenda at 126 is 31 points worse than average.
It ranks 5 of 6 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Douala (55) and the most polluted Bafoussam (151).
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near Bamenda
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bafoussam | 61 km | 151 | Unhealthy | 78 |
| Gboko | 197 km | 116 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 29.5 |
| Douala | 218 km | 55 | Moderate | 23.8 |
| Calabar | 230 km | 63 | Moderate | 19.3 |
| Uyo | 265 km | 75 | Moderate | 28 |
| Makurdi | 267 km | 90 | Moderate | 25.4 |
| Yaoundé | 278 km | 74 | Moderate | 29.3 |
| Umuahia | 297 km | 78 | Moderate | 27.8 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Bamenda, 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 76 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 24 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 82 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 126, children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with asthma, COPD or heart disease should limit time outdoors, especially strenuous activity. A well-fitted N95/FFP2 mask cuts particle exposure; it does not filter ozone.
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 Bamenda
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.