Air quality
Air quality in Muscat today
Updated
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (US AQI 142) People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. Model estimate for Sun, Oct 25, 10:00 pm (18:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Muscat, Oman, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 142 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
- PM2.5
- 36 µg/m³ 2.4× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 54 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 131 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- ozone sub-index 142
- Best hour tomorrow
- 6:00 pm AQI 99
- European AQI
- 66
Air quality in Muscat right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Muscat, Oman is 142, which falls in the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" band (up to 150). People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
The index is driven mainly by ozone, whose own sub-index is 142. Ozone usually peaks in the afternoon on sunny days and falls back after sunset.
PM2.5 is 36 µg/m³, 2.4 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 54 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 131 µg/m³ (above the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 9.6 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: carbon monoxide 248 µg/m³.
Muscat AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 99 around Mon 6:00 pm to 142 around Sun 10:00 pm, from "Moderate" at best to "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" at worst.
The following day is expected to be cleaner, averaging about 101 against 110 for the next 24 hours.
| Local time (Asia/Muscat) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 10:00 pm | 142 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 36.2 | 54 | 131 |
| Mon 1:00 am | 112 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 31.3 | 53 | 110 |
| Mon 4:00 am | 110 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 30.6 | 53 | 95 |
| Mon 7:00 am | 108 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 33.9 | 57 | 74 |
| Mon 10:00 am | 107 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 33.9 | 62 | 107 |
| Mon 1:00 pm | 105 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 37.6 | 64 | 138 |
| Mon 4:00 pm | 101 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 34.8 | 62 | 152 |
| Mon 7:00 pm | 106 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 34.8 | 64 | 138 |
| Mon 10:00 pm | 108 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 34.5 | 65 | 116 |
| Tue 1:00 am | 97 | Moderate | 34.7 | 71 | 105 |
| Tue 4:00 am | 98 | Moderate | 33.2 | 68 | 92 |
| Tue 7:00 am | 99 | Moderate | 34.7 | 68 | 79 |
| Tue 10:00 am | 99 | Moderate | 37.4 | 74 | 112 |
| Tue 1:00 pm | 100 | Moderate | 40.9 | 74 | 145 |
| Tue 4:00 pm | 100 | Moderate | 37.3 | 69 | 152 |
| Tue 7:00 pm | 110 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 32.6 | 64 | 128 |
| Tue 10:00 pm | 101 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 32 | 64 | 109 |
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 Muscat tomorrow
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air tomorrow is forecast around 6:00 pm (AQI 99, Moderate) and the worst around 9:00 pm (AQI 111). That is a swing of 12 points, so a run or walk around 6:00 pm is noticeably better.
Muscat vs the rest of Oman
Across 3 Oman cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 140 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Muscat at 142 is about average.
It ranks 2 of 3 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Seeb (137) and the most polluted Bawshar (142).
For context, the median across 3,909 cities worldwide is 57.
Air quality in cities near Muscat
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bawshar | 1 km | 142 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 36.2 |
| Seeb | 24 km | 137 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 38.3 |
| Fujairah | 270 km | 93 | Moderate | 32.9 |
| Al Ain City | 277 km | 80 | Moderate | 34.3 |
| Ras Al Khaimah | 349 km | 89 | Moderate | 32.7 |
| Warīsān | 351 km | 117 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 60.3 |
| Dubai | 355 km | 98 | Moderate | 37 |
| Ajman | 359 km | 123 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 55.1 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Muscat, 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 38 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 64 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 17 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 142, 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 Muscat
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.