Air quality
Air quality in Dakhla today
Updated
Unhealthy (US AQI 185) Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 2:00 am (02:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Dakhla, Western Sahara, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 185 Unhealthy
- PM2.5
- 109 µg/m³ 7.3× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 457 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 30 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM10 sub-index 185
- Best hour today
- 6:00 am AQI 211
- European AQI
- 150
Air quality in Dakhla right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Dakhla, Western Sahara is 185, which falls in the "Unhealthy" band (up to 200). Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed.
The index is driven mainly by PM10, whose own sub-index is 185. 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 109 µg/m³, 7.3 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 457 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 30 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 0.2 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: desert dust at 684 µg/m³, high enough to haze the sky, carbon monoxide 101 µg/m³.
Dakhla AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 185 around Mon 2:00 am to 329 around Mon 5:00 pm, from "Unhealthy" at best to "Hazardous" at worst.
The following day is expected to be cleaner, averaging about 142 against 276 for the next 24 hours.
| Local time (Africa/El_Aaiun) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2:00 am | 185 | Unhealthy | 109.4 | 457 | 30 |
| Mon 5:00 am | 197 | Unhealthy | 129.9 | 618 | 33 |
| Mon 8:00 am | 248 | Very Unhealthy | 125.7 | 607 | 32 |
| Mon 11:00 am | 297 | Very Unhealthy | 99.9 | 464 | 34 |
| Mon 2:00 pm | 318 | Hazardous | 76.8 | 377 | 40 |
| Mon 5:00 pm | 329 | Hazardous | 69.2 | 281 | 39 |
| Mon 8:00 pm | 317 | Hazardous | 61.5 | 211 | 36 |
| Mon 11:00 pm | 287 | Very Unhealthy | 60.3 | 189 | 33 |
| Tue 2:00 am | 250 | Very Unhealthy | 49 | 161 | 30 |
| Tue 5:00 am | 194 | Unhealthy | 34.6 | 118 | 23 |
| Tue 8:00 am | 161 | Unhealthy | 22.5 | 85 | 22 |
| Tue 11:00 am | 150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 23 | 97 | 32 |
| Tue 2:00 pm | 130 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 25.3 | 100 | 42 |
| Tue 5:00 pm | 115 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 25.5 | 99 | 41 |
| Tue 8:00 pm | 102 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 22.8 | 90 | 35 |
| Tue 11:00 pm | 92 | Moderate | 20.9 | 90 | 31 |
| Wed 2:00 am | 84 | Moderate | 21.5 | 90 | 28 |
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 Dakhla today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 6:00 am (AQI 211, Very Unhealthy) and the worst around 5:00 pm (AQI 329). That is a swing of 118 points, so a run or walk around 6:00 am is noticeably better.
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Dakhla, 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
At 185, children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with asthma, COPD or heart disease should limit time outdoors, especially strenuous activity. A well-fitted N95/FFP2 mask cuts particle exposure; it does not filter ozone.
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 Dakhla
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).