Air quality
Air quality in Cuenca today
Updated
Good (US AQI 27) Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. Model estimate for Sun, Oct 25, 3:00 pm (20:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 27 Good
- PM2.5
- 2.7 µg/m³ 0.2× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 2.7 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 49 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 27
- Best hour today
- 3:00 pm AQI 27
- European AQI
- 16
Air quality in Cuenca right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador is 27, 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 27. 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 2.7 µg/m³, within the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 2.7 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 49 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 0.6 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: UV index 1.9, carbon monoxide 148 µg/m³.
NASA FIRMS shows 17 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 122 km), but particle levels are not elevated enough to point to smoke right now.
Cuenca AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 23 around Mon 1:00 pm to 28 around Sun 5:00 pm, staying "Good" throughout.
The following day looks similar, averaging about 27.
| Local time (America/Guayaquil) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 3:00 pm | 27 | Good | 2.7 | 3 | 49 |
| Sun 6:00 pm | 28 | Good | 3.8 | 4 | 33 |
| Sun 9:00 pm | 27 | Good | 6.5 | 7 | 14 |
| Mon 12:00 am | 25 | Good | 7.8 | 8 | 24 |
| Mon 3:00 am | 25 | Good | 4.3 | 4 | 35 |
| Mon 6:00 am | 25 | Good | 3.8 | 4 | 28 |
| Mon 9:00 am | 24 | Good | 2 | 2 | 53 |
| Mon 12:00 pm | 24 | Good | 1.9 | 2 | 64 |
| Mon 3:00 pm | 25 | Good | 2.2 | 2 | 56 |
| Mon 6:00 pm | 26 | Good | 3.9 | 4 | 26 |
| Mon 9:00 pm | 23 | Good | 6.2 | 6 | 17 |
| Tue 12:00 am | 23 | Good | 12.2 | 12 | 26 |
| Tue 3:00 am | 26 | Good | 7.4 | 7 | 39 |
| Tue 6:00 am | 28 | Good | 7.8 | 8 | 38 |
| Tue 9:00 am | 30 | Good | 2.9 | 3 | 52 |
| Tue 12:00 pm | 31 | Good | 2.6 | 3 | 65 |
| Tue 3:00 pm | 31 | Good | 2.9 | 3 | 71 |
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 Cuenca today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 3:00 pm (AQI 27, Good) and the worst around 5:00 pm (AQI 28). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
Cuenca vs the rest of Ecuador
Across 9 Ecuador cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 30 (Good). Cuenca at 27 is about average.
It ranks 3 of 9 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Portoviejo (23) and the most polluted Santa Rosa, El Oro (38).
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near Cuenca
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machala | 114 km | 35 | Good | 2.3 |
| Eloy Alfaro | 124 km | 29 | Good | 1.7 |
| Santa Rosa, El Oro | 124 km | 38 | Good | 2.1 |
| Guayaquil | 126 km | 29 | Good | 1.7 |
| Ambato | 188 km | 25 | Good | 3 |
| Portoviejo | 261 km | 23 | Good | 2.6 |
| Santo Domingo de los Colorados | 294 km | 29 | Good | 1.5 |
| Quito | 301 km | 35 | Good | 4.9 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Cuenca, 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 27, 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 Cuenca
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.