Air quality
Air quality in Belfast today
Updated
Good (US AQI 35) Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. Model estimate for Sun, Oct 25, 6:00 pm (18:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 35 Good
- PM2.5
- 3.4 µg/m³ 0.2× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 11 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 72 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- ozone sub-index 35
- Best hour today
- 8:00 pm AQI 34
- European AQI
- 26
Air quality in Belfast right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom is 35, which falls in the "Good" band (up to 50). Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity.
The index is driven mainly by ozone, whose own sub-index is 35. Ozone usually peaks in the afternoon on sunny days and falls back after sunset.
PM2.5 is 3.4 µg/m³, within the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 11 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 72 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 1.6 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: carbon monoxide 153 µg/m³.
NASA FIRMS shows 3 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 18 km), but particle levels are not elevated enough to point to smoke right now.
Belfast AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 27 around Mon 7:00 am to 35 around Sun 6:00 pm, staying "Good" throughout.
The following day looks similar, averaging about 30.
| Local time (Europe/London) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 6:00 pm | 35 | Good | 3.4 | 11 | 72 |
| Sun 9:00 pm | 34 | Good | 4.5 | 11 | 71 |
| Mon 12:00 am | 33 | Good | 4.6 | 11 | 63 |
| Mon 3:00 am | 31 | Good | 4 | 11 | 56 |
| Mon 6:00 am | 28 | Good | 4.3 | 11 | 55 |
| Mon 9:00 am | 27 | Good | 2.2 | 4 | 76 |
| Mon 12:00 pm | 30 | Good | 1.9 | 4 | 68 |
| Mon 3:00 pm | 31 | Good | 2.2 | 3 | 52 |
| Mon 6:00 pm | 29 | Good | 4.3 | 11 | 60 |
| Mon 9:00 pm | 27 | Good | 4.9 | 11 | 67 |
| Tue 12:00 am | 29 | Good | 3.3 | 9 | 69 |
| Tue 3:00 am | 31 | Good | 2.1 | 5 | 64 |
| Tue 6:00 am | 31 | Good | 2.3 | 6 | 66 |
| Tue 9:00 am | 30 | Good | 2.9 | 7 | 67 |
| Tue 12:00 pm | 31 | Good | 2.3 | 7 | 70 |
| Tue 3:00 pm | 32 | Good | 2.4 | 7 | 71 |
| Tue 6:00 pm | 32 | Good | 2.9 | 8 | 67 |
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 Belfast today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 8:00 pm (AQI 34, Good) and the worst around 6:00 pm (AQI 35). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
Belfast vs the rest of United Kingdom
Across 134 United Kingdom cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 35 (Good). Belfast at 35 is about average.
It ranks 75 of 134 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is London (33) and the most polluted Newquay (38).
For context, the median across 3,909 cities worldwide is 57.
Air quality in cities near Belfast
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangor | 18 km | 35 | Good | 3.6 |
| Derry | 99 km | 36 | Good | 4 |
| Swords | 128 km | 34 | Good | 4.4 |
| Irvine, Scotland | 139 km | 36 | Good | 2.7 |
| Dublin | 142 km | 34 | Good | 4.3 |
| Glasgow | 176 km | 36 | Good | 3.1 |
| Hamilton, Scotland | 177 km | 36 | Good | 2.8 |
| Blackpool | 206 km | 37 | Good | 3.5 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Belfast, 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.
Advice for sensitive groups
With the AQI at 35, there is no need for sensitive groups to change plans. People with asthma should still carry their reliever inhaler as usual.
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 Belfast
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.