Air quality
Air quality in Cobán today
Updated
Good (US AQI 48) Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. Model estimate for Sun, Oct 25, 7:00 pm (01:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 48 Good
- PM2.5
- 10 µg/m³ 0.7× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 12 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 42 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 48
- Best hour tomorrow
- 6:00 am AQI 45
- European AQI
- 30
Air quality in Cobán right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala is 48, 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 PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 48. 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 10 µg/m³, within the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 12 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 42 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 4.5 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: carbon monoxide 204 µg/m³.
NASA FIRMS shows 33 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 80 km), but particle levels are not elevated enough to point to smoke right now.
Cobán AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 45 around Mon 6:00 am to 48 around Sun 7:00 pm, staying "Good" throughout.
The following day looks similar, averaging about 48.
| Local time (America/Guatemala) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 7:00 pm | 48 | Good | 10.2 | 12 | 42 |
| Sun 10:00 pm | 48 | Good | 12.7 | 14 | 45 |
| Mon 1:00 am | 47 | Good | 10.3 | 12 | 42 |
| Mon 4:00 am | 46 | Good | 8.5 | 9 | 26 |
| Mon 7:00 am | 45 | Good | 8.3 | 10 | 37 |
| Mon 10:00 am | 45 | Good | 6 | 8 | 83 |
| Mon 1:00 pm | 45 | Good | 5.1 | 7 | 83 |
| Mon 4:00 pm | 46 | Good | 5 | 6 | 73 |
| Mon 7:00 pm | 46 | Good | 11.6 | 13 | 47 |
| Mon 10:00 pm | 46 | Good | 12.6 | 14 | 49 |
| Tue 1:00 am | 47 | Good | 11.1 | 12 | 52 |
| Tue 4:00 am | 48 | Good | 11.1 | 12 | 50 |
| Tue 7:00 am | 50 | Good | 10.5 | 12 | 57 |
| Tue 10:00 am | 50 | Good | 6 | 8 | 92 |
| Tue 1:00 pm | 50 | Good | 5.4 | 7 | 90 |
| Tue 4:00 pm | 50 | Good | 6.2 | 8 | 73 |
| Tue 7:00 pm | 51 | Moderate | 13.4 | 15 | 46 |
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 Cobán tomorrow
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air tomorrow is forecast around 6:00 am (AQI 45, Good) and the worst around 3:00 pm (AQI 46). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
Cobán vs the rest of Guatemala
Across 6 Guatemala cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 64 (Moderate). Cobán at 48 is 16 points cleaner than average.
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near Cobán
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinautla | 86 km | 62 | Moderate | 22.1 |
| Guatemala City | 93 km | 62 | Moderate | 22.1 |
| Mixco | 97 km | 62 | Moderate | 22.1 |
| Villa Nueva | 108 km | 66 | Moderate | 30.3 |
| Petapa | 110 km | 66 | Moderate | 30.3 |
| Villa Canales | 111 km | 66 | Moderate | 30.3 |
| Santa Ana, Santa Ana Department | 187 km | 52 | Moderate | 11.1 |
| Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez | 212 km | 67 | Moderate | 16.2 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Cobán, 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 48, 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 Cobán
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.