Air quality
Air quality in Mackay today
Updated
Good (US AQI 30) Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 12:00 pm (02:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Mackay, Queensland, Australia, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 30 Good
- PM2.5
- 4.9 µg/m³ 0.3× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 7.7 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 50 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 30
- Best hour today
- 7:00 pm AQI 28
- European AQI
- 20
Air quality in Mackay right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Mackay, Queensland, Australia is 30, 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 PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 30. 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 4.9 µg/m³, within the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 7.7 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 50 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 0.3 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: UV index 12.1 (high: sun protection advised), carbon monoxide 76 µg/m³.
NASA FIRMS shows 19 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 89 km), but particle levels are not elevated enough to point to smoke right now.
Mackay AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 19 around Tue 12:00 pm to 30 around Mon 12:00 pm, staying "Good" throughout.
The following day looks similar, averaging about 21.
| Local time (Australia/Brisbane) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 12:00 pm | 30 | Good | 4.9 | 8 | 50 |
| Mon 3:00 pm | 30 | Good | 4.2 | 7 | 48 |
| Mon 6:00 pm | 29 | Good | 3.4 | 5 | 43 |
| Mon 9:00 pm | 28 | Good | 3.2 | 5 | 39 |
| Tue 12:00 am | 26 | Good | 3 | 5 | 36 |
| Tue 3:00 am | 24 | Good | 3 | 5 | 33 |
| Tue 6:00 am | 22 | Good | 3.4 | 5 | 37 |
| Tue 9:00 am | 21 | Good | 3.1 | 5 | 45 |
| Tue 12:00 pm | 19 | Good | 3.6 | 6 | 48 |
| Tue 3:00 pm | 21 | Good | 4.1 | 6 | 46 |
| Tue 6:00 pm | 21 | Good | 3.9 | 6 | 41 |
| Tue 9:00 pm | 20 | Good | 3.8 | 6 | 36 |
| Wed 12:00 am | 20 | Good | 4 | 6 | 33 |
| Wed 3:00 am | 20 | Good | 4.2 | 6 | 31 |
| Wed 6:00 am | 21 | Good | 4.3 | 6 | 32 |
| Wed 9:00 am | 22 | Good | 4.9 | 7 | 40 |
| Wed 12:00 pm | 24 | Good | 7.3 | 11 | 45 |
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 Mackay today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 7:00 pm (AQI 28, Good) and the worst around 12:00 pm (AQI 30). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
Mackay vs the rest of Australia
Across 24 Australia cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 27 (Good). Mackay at 30 is about average.
It ranks 16 of 24 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Launceston (14) and the most polluted Perth (52).
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near Mackay
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Townsville | 324 km | 42 | Good | 7 |
| Gladstone | 369 km | 23 | Good | 5.4 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Mackay, 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 30, 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 Mackay
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.