Air quality
Air quality in Kunming today
Updated
Moderate (US AQI 67) Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 2:00 am (18:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Kunming, Yunnan, China, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 67 Moderate
- PM2.5
- 33 µg/m³ 2.2× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 34 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 13 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 67
- Best hour today
- 6:00 am AQI 70
- European AQI
- 56
Air quality in Kunming right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Kunming, Yunnan, China is 67, which falls in the "Moderate" band (up to 100). Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors.
The index is driven mainly by PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 67. 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 33 µg/m³, 2.2 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 34 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 13 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 53 µg/m³ (above the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: carbon monoxide 508 µg/m³.
Kunming AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 67 around Mon 2:00 am to 81 around Mon 7:00 pm, staying "Moderate" throughout.
The following day looks similar, averaging about 72.
| Local time (Asia/Shanghai) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2:00 am | 67 | Moderate | 33.3 | 34 | 13 |
| Mon 5:00 am | 70 | Moderate | 34.6 | 35 | 8 |
| Mon 8:00 am | 71 | Moderate | 42.8 | 44 | 16 |
| Mon 11:00 am | 73 | Moderate | 11 | 11 | 112 |
| Mon 2:00 pm | 74 | Moderate | 7.7 | 8 | 136 |
| Mon 5:00 pm | 74 | Moderate | 6.8 | 7 | 124 |
| Mon 8:00 pm | 78 | Moderate | 14.6 | 15 | 83 |
| Mon 11:00 pm | 73 | Moderate | 15.7 | 16 | 74 |
| Tue 2:00 am | 69 | Moderate | 11.7 | 12 | 81 |
| Tue 5:00 am | 64 | Moderate | 16.8 | 17 | 61 |
| Tue 8:00 am | 60 | Moderate | 19.3 | 19 | 72 |
| Tue 11:00 am | 57 | Moderate | 9.6 | 10 | 132 |
| Tue 2:00 pm | 57 | Moderate | 10.4 | 11 | 157 |
| Tue 5:00 pm | 100 | Moderate | 9.8 | 10 | 144 |
| Tue 8:00 pm | 107 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 17.7 | 18 | 81 |
| Tue 11:00 pm | 61 | Moderate | 17.8 | 18 | 81 |
| Wed 2:00 am | 59 | Moderate | 15.4 | 15 | 77 |
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 Kunming today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 6:00 am (AQI 70, Moderate) and the worst around 7:00 pm (AQI 81). That is a swing of 11 points, so a run or walk around 6:00 am is noticeably better.
Kunming vs the rest of China
Across 467 China cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 84 (Moderate). Kunming at 67 is 17 points cleaner than average.
It ranks 142 of 467 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Hulunbuir (21) and the most polluted Artux (264).
For context, the median across 3,909 cities worldwide is 57.
Air quality in cities near Kunming
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Majie | 8 km | 67 | Moderate | 33.3 |
| Haikou, Yunnan | 32 km | 32 | Good | 8.2 |
| Qujing | 118 km | 42 | Good | 10.8 |
| Chuxiong | 118 km | 33 | Good | 8.1 |
| Jianshui | 173 km | 30 | Good | 11.1 |
| Mengzi | 198 km | 60 | Moderate | 16.8 |
| Panzhihua | 199 km | 91 | Moderate | 50.2 |
| Xingyi | 220 km | 61 | Moderate | 14.9 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Kunming, 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 43 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 155 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 13 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 67, most people are fine outdoors. If you are unusually sensitive to PM2.5, keep long or intense workouts to the cleaner hours shown above.
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 Kunming
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.