Air quality
Air quality in Kashgar today
Updated
Very Unhealthy (US AQI 233) Health alert: everyone should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors, and sensitive groups should stay indoors. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 8:00 am (02:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 233 Very Unhealthy
- PM2.5
- 114 µg/m³ 7.6× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 426 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 60 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM10 sub-index 233
- Best hour today
- 9:00 pm AQI 217
- European AQI
- 141
Air quality in Kashgar right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Kashgar, Xinjiang, China is 233, 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 PM10, whose own sub-index is 233. 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 114 µg/m³, 7.6 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 426 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 60 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 6.3 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: desert dust at 646 µg/m³, high enough to haze the sky, carbon monoxide 250 µg/m³.
Kashgar AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 177 around Tue 8:00 am to 233 around Mon 8:00 am, from "Unhealthy" at best to "Very Unhealthy" at worst.
The following day is expected to be cleaner, averaging about 167 against 215 for the next 24 hours.
| Local time (Asia/Urumqi) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 8:00 am | 233 | Very Unhealthy | 113.6 | 426 | 60 |
| Mon 11:00 am | 230 | Very Unhealthy | 108.5 | 423 | 68 |
| Mon 2:00 pm | 233 | Very Unhealthy | 85 | 339 | 78 |
| Mon 5:00 pm | 231 | Very Unhealthy | 79.2 | 306 | 79 |
| Mon 8:00 pm | 221 | Very Unhealthy | 78.7 | 269 | 65 |
| Mon 11:00 pm | 206 | Very Unhealthy | 86.6 | 254 | 48 |
| Tue 2:00 am | 195 | Unhealthy | 89.4 | 264 | 43 |
| Tue 5:00 am | 187 | Unhealthy | 83.6 | 252 | 39 |
| Tue 8:00 am | 177 | Unhealthy | 78 | 237 | 40 |
| Tue 11:00 am | 170 | Unhealthy | 69.8 | 249 | 67 |
| Tue 2:00 pm | 168 | Unhealthy | 67.1 | 231 | 85 |
| Tue 5:00 pm | 166 | Unhealthy | 65.9 | 219 | 82 |
| Tue 8:00 pm | 165 | Unhealthy | 71.5 | 195 | 55 |
| Tue 11:00 pm | 165 | Unhealthy | 81 | 223 | 41 |
| Wed 2:00 am | 164 | Unhealthy | 78.9 | 235 | 43 |
| Wed 5:00 am | 163 | Unhealthy | 73.6 | 205 | 34 |
| Wed 8:00 am | 162 | Unhealthy | 72.9 | 177 | 26 |
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 Kashgar today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 9:00 pm (AQI 217, Very Unhealthy) and the worst around 8:00 am (AQI 233). That is a swing of 16 points, so a run or walk around 9:00 pm is noticeably better.
Kashgar vs the rest of China
Across 467 China cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 86 (Moderate). Kashgar at 233 is 147 points worse than average.
It ranks 466 of 467 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Hulunbuir (19) and the most polluted Artux (223).
For context, the median across 3,909 cities worldwide is 57.
Air quality in cities near Kashgar
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artux | 32 km | 223 | Very Unhealthy | 103.1 |
| Osh | 296 km | 68 | Moderate | 13.8 |
| Andijon | 342 km | 74 | Moderate | 17.3 |
| Fergana | 373 km | 111 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 49.2 |
| Marg‘ilon | 380 km | 111 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 49.2 |
| Bishkek | 396 km | 65 | Moderate | 17.9 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Kashgar, 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 233, 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 Kashgar
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).