Air quality
Air quality in Charlotte today
Updated
Good (US AQI 47) Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. Model estimate for Sun, Oct 25, 6:50 pm (22:50 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 47 Good
- PM2.5
- 10 µg/m³ 0.7× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 13 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 82 µg/m³
Air quality in Charlotte right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Charlotte, North Carolina, United States is 47, 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.
PM2.5 is 10 µg/m³, within the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 13 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 82 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 3.2 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
NASA FIRMS shows 66 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 53 km), but particle levels are not elevated enough to point to smoke right now.
Charlotte vs the rest of United States
Across 619 United States cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 51 (Moderate). Charlotte at 47 is about average.
It ranks 289 of 619 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Hilo (18) and the most polluted Springfield, PA (131).
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near Charlotte
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concord, NC | 31 km | 40 | Good | 9.8 |
| Hickory | 72 km | 37 | Good | 8.8 |
| Greensboro | 134 km | 34 | Good | 6.5 |
| Columbia | 137 km | 40 | Good | 7.5 |
| Lexington, SC | 143 km | 40 | Good | 7.5 |
| Greenville, SC | 147 km | 38 | Good | 8.3 |
| Florence, SC | 151 km | 37 | Good | 6.8 |
| Burlington, NC | 160 km | 34 | Good | 6.5 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Charlotte, 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 47, 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 Charlotte
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.