Air quality
Air quality in Jaffna today
Updated
Good (US AQI 31) Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 7:30 am (02:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Jaffna, Northern Province, Sri Lanka, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 31 Good
- PM2.5
- 7.3 µg/m³ 0.5× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 8.5 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 57 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- ozone sub-index 31
- Best hour today
- 9:30 am AQI 29
- European AQI
- 25
Air quality in Jaffna right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Jaffna, Northern Province, Sri Lanka is 31, 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 ozone, whose own sub-index is 31. Ozone usually peaks in the afternoon on sunny days and falls back after sunset.
PM2.5 is 7.3 µg/m³, within the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 8.5 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 57 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 11 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: carbon monoxide 526 µg/m³.
Jaffna AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 29 around Mon 9:30 am to 80 around Tue 7:30 am, from "Good" at best to "Moderate" at worst.
The following day is expected to be worse, averaging about 91 against 52 for the next 24 hours.
| Local time (Asia/Colombo) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 7:30 am | 31 | Good | 7.3 | 9 | 57 |
| Mon 10:30 am | 29 | Good | 13.7 | 15 | 85 |
| Mon 1:30 pm | 34 | Good | 22.1 | 24 | 98 |
| Mon 4:30 pm | 48 | Good | 24.9 | 26 | 95 |
| Mon 7:30 pm | 54 | Moderate | 30.7 | 33 | 96 |
| Mon 10:30 pm | 61 | Moderate | 31.5 | 34 | 92 |
| Tue 1:30 am | 67 | Moderate | 29.8 | 32 | 101 |
| Tue 4:30 am | 74 | Moderate | 31.1 | 33 | 117 |
| Tue 7:30 am | 80 | Moderate | 32.7 | 35 | 109 |
| Tue 10:30 am | 86 | Moderate | 34.9 | 38 | 129 |
| Tue 1:30 pm | 90 | Moderate | 32.6 | 35 | 146 |
| Tue 4:30 pm | 94 | Moderate | 30.6 | 33 | 139 |
| Tue 7:30 pm | 106 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 31.8 | 35 | 132 |
| Tue 10:30 pm | 96 | Moderate | 23.1 | 26 | 115 |
| Wed 1:30 am | 90 | Moderate | 7.8 | 10 | 99 |
| Wed 4:30 am | 84 | Moderate | 6.1 | 8 | 96 |
| Wed 7:30 am | 78 | Moderate | 9.2 | 12 | 100 |
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 Jaffna today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 9:30 am (AQI 29, Good) and the worst around 9:30 pm (AQI 59). That is a swing of 30 points, so a run or walk around 9:30 am is noticeably better.
Air quality in cities near Jaffna
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thanjavur | 156 km | 54 | Moderate | 25.7 |
| Tiruchirappalli | 192 km | 39 | Good | 19.8 |
| Madurai | 209 km | 51 | Moderate | 12 |
| Thoothukudi | 229 km | 34 | Good | 8 |
| Dindigul | 235 km | 28 | Good | 11.2 |
| Puducherry | 253 km | 36 | Good | 24.2 |
| Gundupālaiyam | 254 km | 36 | Good | 24.2 |
| Kallakurichi | 257 km | 53 | Moderate | 32.9 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Jaffna, 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 31, 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 Jaffna
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).