Air quality
Air quality in Canberra today
Updated
Good (US AQI 21) Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 1:00 pm (02:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 21 Good
- PM2.5
- 2.1 µg/m³ 0.1× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 2.9 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 55 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- ozone sub-index 21
- Best hour today
- 1:00 pm AQI 21
- European AQI
- 18
Air quality in Canberra right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia is 21, 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 21. Ozone usually peaks in the afternoon on sunny days and falls back after sunset.
PM2.5 is 2.1 µg/m³, within the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 2.9 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 55 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 0.5 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: UV index 9.6 (high: sun protection advised), carbon monoxide 64 µg/m³.
NASA FIRMS shows 1 fire hotspot within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 216 km), but particle levels are not elevated enough to point to smoke right now.
Canberra AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 17 around Tue 3:00 am to 29 around Tue 12:00 pm, staying "Good" throughout.
The following day looks similar, averaging about 27.
| Local time (Australia/Sydney) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1:00 pm | 21 | Good | 2.1 | 3 | 55 |
| Mon 4:00 pm | 23 | Good | 2.6 | 4 | 57 |
| Mon 7:00 pm | 26 | Good | 3.7 | 8 | 51 |
| Mon 10:00 pm | 24 | Good | 5.6 | 15 | 37 |
| Tue 1:00 am | 20 | Good | 7.4 | 19 | 27 |
| Tue 4:00 am | 18 | Good | 7.5 | 21 | 23 |
| Tue 7:00 am | 23 | Good | 7.6 | 24 | 27 |
| Tue 10:00 am | 27 | Good | 5.1 | 14 | 47 |
| Tue 1:00 pm | 29 | Good | 2.4 | 4 | 55 |
| Tue 4:00 pm | 29 | Good | 1.7 | 3 | 55 |
| Tue 7:00 pm | 28 | Good | 2.6 | 5 | 48 |
| Tue 10:00 pm | 27 | Good | 4.6 | 12 | 37 |
| Wed 1:00 am | 27 | Good | 6.4 | 18 | 28 |
| Wed 4:00 am | 26 | Good | 6.2 | 19 | 25 |
| Wed 7:00 am | 25 | Good | 6 | 16 | 30 |
| Wed 10:00 am | 24 | Good | 3.6 | 7 | 45 |
| Wed 1:00 pm | 23 | Good | 2.9 | 5 | 52 |
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 Canberra today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 1:00 pm (AQI 21, Good) and the worst around 7:00 pm (AQI 26). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
Canberra vs the rest of Australia
Across 24 Australia cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 27 (Good). Canberra at 21 is 6 points cleaner than average.
It ranks 6 of 24 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Launceston (14) and the most polluted Perth (52).
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near Canberra
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange, NSW | 222 km | 22 | Good | 1.4 |
| Sydney | 247 km | 24 | Good | 6.8 |
| Central Coast | 291 km | 25 | Good | 6.5 |
| Griffith | 302 km | 19 | Good | 2.8 |
| Newcastle | 358 km | 26 | Good | 7.8 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Canberra, 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 21, 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 Canberra
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.