Air quality
Air quality in Jos today
Updated
Unhealthy (US AQI 151) Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 3:00 am (02:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 151 Unhealthy
- PM2.5
- 68 µg/m³ 4.5× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 108 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 30 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 151
- Best hour today
- 7:00 pm AQI 145
- European AQI
- 69
Air quality in Jos right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria is 151, 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 PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 151. 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 68 µg/m³, 4.5 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 108 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 30 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 12 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: desert dust at 82 µg/m³, high enough to haze the sky, carbon monoxide 531 µg/m³.
Jos AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 145 around Mon 7:00 pm to 152 around Mon 5:00 am, from "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" at best to "Unhealthy" at worst.
The following day looks similar, averaging about 155.
| Local time (Africa/Lagos) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 3:00 am | 151 | Unhealthy | 67.8 | 108 | 30 |
| Mon 6:00 am | 152 | Unhealthy | 56.8 | 91 | 28 |
| Mon 9:00 am | 152 | Unhealthy | 34.9 | 75 | 85 |
| Mon 12:00 pm | 150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 27.3 | 82 | 111 |
| Mon 3:00 pm | 148 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 29.5 | 106 | 110 |
| Mon 6:00 pm | 146 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 44.5 | 142 | 75 |
| Mon 9:00 pm | 146 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 82.2 | 144 | 38 |
| Tue 12:00 am | 151 | Unhealthy | 108.3 | 162 | 33 |
| Tue 3:00 am | 152 | Unhealthy | 75.9 | 124 | 46 |
| Tue 6:00 am | 153 | Unhealthy | 70.5 | 110 | 51 |
| Tue 9:00 am | 153 | Unhealthy | 39.7 | 64 | 100 |
| Tue 12:00 pm | 154 | Unhealthy | 33.6 | 114 | 119 |
| Tue 3:00 pm | 154 | Unhealthy | 37.5 | 171 | 110 |
| Tue 6:00 pm | 156 | Unhealthy | 59.8 | 244 | 76 |
| Tue 9:00 pm | 157 | Unhealthy | 82.2 | 195 | 40 |
| Wed 12:00 am | 156 | Unhealthy | 93.4 | 132 | 14 |
| Wed 3:00 am | 155 | Unhealthy | 72.9 | 125 | 34 |
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 Jos today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 7:00 pm (AQI 145, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) and the worst around 6:00 am (AQI 152). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
Jos vs the rest of Nigeria
Across 66 Nigeria cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 99 (Moderate). Jos at 151 is 52 points worse than average.
It ranks 60 of 66 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Calabar (62) and the most polluted Kano (216).
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near Jos
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bauchi | 113 km | 125 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 54.5 |
| Kaduna | 172 km | 149 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 55.4 |
| Abuja | 181 km | 149 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 69.6 |
| Zaria | 183 km | 181 | Unhealthy | 94.5 |
| Gaya, Kano State | 215 km | 182 | Unhealthy | 122.5 |
| Kano | 234 km | 216 | Very Unhealthy | 170.9 |
| Makurdi | 247 km | 90 | Moderate | 24 |
| Gombe | 252 km | 111 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 35 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Jos, 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.
Wildfire smoke
PM2.5 is forecast to reach 113 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 82 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 33 km away). Smoke is a likely contributor: keep windows closed, run an air purifier or HVAC filter, and check the fire map before heading out.
Advice for sensitive groups
At 151, 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 Jos
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.