Air quality
Air quality in George today
Updated
Good (US AQI 34) Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 4:00 am (02:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for George, Western Cape, South Africa, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 34 Good
- PM2.5
- 4.6 µg/m³ 0.3× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 6.1 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 37 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 34
- Best hour today
- 11:00 am AQI 30
- European AQI
- 18
Air quality in George right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for George, Western Cape, South Africa is 34, 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 34. 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 4.6 µg/m³, within the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 6.1 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 37 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 2.7 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: carbon monoxide 91 µg/m³.
NASA FIRMS shows 1 fire hotspot within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 233 km), but particle levels are not elevated enough to point to smoke right now.
George AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 30 around Mon 11:00 am to 40 around Mon 11:00 pm, staying "Good" throughout.
The following day looks similar, averaging about 35.
| Local time (Africa/Johannesburg) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 4:00 am | 34 | Good | 4.6 | 6 | 37 |
| Mon 7:00 am | 32 | Good | 5.6 | 7 | 41 |
| Mon 10:00 am | 31 | Good | 5 | 7 | 55 |
| Mon 1:00 pm | 30 | Good | 7.7 | 11 | 71 |
| Mon 4:00 pm | 32 | Good | 11 | 17 | 75 |
| Mon 7:00 pm | 37 | Good | 10.9 | 17 | 71 |
| Mon 10:00 pm | 39 | Good | 8.7 | 13 | 66 |
| Tue 1:00 am | 40 | Good | 4.6 | 7 | 54 |
| Tue 4:00 am | 40 | Good | 4 | 6 | 41 |
| Tue 7:00 am | 40 | Good | 4.9 | 7 | 50 |
| Tue 10:00 am | 40 | Good | 4.5 | 7 | 65 |
| Tue 1:00 pm | 39 | Good | 4.9 | 7 | 74 |
| Tue 4:00 pm | 36 | Good | 4.3 | 6 | 73 |
| Tue 7:00 pm | 33 | Good | 4.5 | 6 | 64 |
| Tue 10:00 pm | 31 | Good | 8.2 | 9 | 41 |
| Wed 1:00 am | 28 | Good | 6.8 | 8 | 38 |
| Wed 4:00 am | 30 | Good | 5.9 | 8 | 40 |
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 George today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 11:00 am (AQI 30, Good) and the worst around 9:00 pm (AQI 39). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
George vs the rest of South Africa
Across 48 South Africa cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 57 (Moderate). George at 34 is 23 points cleaner than average.
It ranks 8 of 48 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Queenstown (26) and the most polluted Alberton (76).
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near George
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kariega | 272 km | 53 | Moderate | 8.3 |
| Worcester, Western Cape | 281 km | 30 | Good | 5.7 |
| Motherwell | 289 km | 53 | Moderate | 8.3 |
| Gqeberha | 291 km | 61 | Moderate | 12.2 |
| Wellington, Western Cape | 321 km | 31 | Good | 5.6 |
| Paarl | 323 km | 31 | Good | 5.6 |
| Cape Town | 373 km | 51 | Moderate | 6.9 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of George, 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 34, 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 George
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.