Air quality
Air quality in Kano today
Updated
Very Unhealthy (US AQI 239) Health alert: everyone should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors, and sensitive groups should stay indoors. Model estimate for Sun, Oct 25, 7:00 pm (18:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Kano, Kano State, Nigeria, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 239 Very Unhealthy
- PM2.5
- 121 µg/m³ 8.1× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 180 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 61 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 239
- Best hour tomorrow
- 7:00 am AQI 202
- European AQI
- 92
Air quality in Kano right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Kano, Kano State, Nigeria is 239, which falls in the "Very Unhealthy" band (up to 300). Health alert: everyone should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors, and sensitive groups should stay indoors.
The index is driven mainly by PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 239. 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 121 µg/m³, 8.1 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 180 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 61 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 29 µg/m³ (above the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: desert dust at 116 µg/m³, high enough to haze the sky, carbon monoxide 734 µg/m³.
Kano AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 202 around Mon 7:00 am to 239 around Sun 7:00 pm, staying "Very Unhealthy" throughout.
The following day is expected to be worse, averaging about 223 against 214 for the next 24 hours.
| Local time (Africa/Lagos) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 7:00 pm | 239 | Very Unhealthy | 121.1 | 180 | 61 |
| Sun 10:00 pm | 235 | Very Unhealthy | 217.9 | 282 | 28 |
| Mon 1:00 am | 224 | Very Unhealthy | 202.1 | 271 | 23 |
| Mon 4:00 am | 211 | Very Unhealthy | 152.7 | 223 | 28 |
| Mon 7:00 am | 202 | Very Unhealthy | 176.5 | 249 | 29 |
| Mon 10:00 am | 204 | Very Unhealthy | 89.2 | 158 | 160 |
| Mon 1:00 pm | 205 | Very Unhealthy | 41.3 | 112 | 134 |
| Mon 4:00 pm | 205 | Very Unhealthy | 39.5 | 98 | 135 |
| Mon 7:00 pm | 206 | Very Unhealthy | 136.4 | 193 | 72 |
| Mon 10:00 pm | 209 | Very Unhealthy | 260.8 | 319 | 26 |
| Tue 1:00 am | 215 | Very Unhealthy | 258 | 315 | 18 |
| Tue 4:00 am | 223 | Very Unhealthy | 230.5 | 287 | 15 |
| Tue 7:00 am | 230 | Very Unhealthy | 167.6 | 232 | 32 |
| Tue 10:00 am | 229 | Very Unhealthy | 124.3 | 186 | 201 |
| Tue 1:00 pm | 231 | Very Unhealthy | 51.3 | 96 | 166 |
| Tue 4:00 pm | 232 | Very Unhealthy | 43.4 | 82 | 150 |
| Tue 7:00 pm | 233 | Very Unhealthy | 128.1 | 163 | 78 |
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 Kano tomorrow
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air tomorrow is forecast around 7:00 am (AQI 202, Very Unhealthy) and the worst around 8:00 pm (AQI 207). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
Kano vs the rest of Nigeria
Across 69 Nigeria cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 106 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Kano at 239 is 133 points worse than average.
It ranks 69 of 69 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Calabar (64) and the most polluted Kano (239).
For context, the median across 3,909 cities worldwide is 57.
Air quality in cities near Kano
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaya, Kano State | 55 km | 193 | Unhealthy | 89.4 |
| Zaria | 131 km | 182 | Unhealthy | 98 |
| Katsina | 148 km | 193 | Unhealthy | 105.9 |
| Kaduna | 202 km | 151 | Unhealthy | 53.3 |
| Zinder | 207 km | 83 | Moderate | 47.7 |
| Maradi | 227 km | 100 | Moderate | 30.2 |
| Jos | 234 km | 144 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 56.2 |
| Bauchi | 237 km | 122 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 40.3 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Kano, 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 225 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 354 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 10 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 239, 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 Kano
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.