Air quality
Air quality in Mzuzu today
Updated
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (US AQI 115) People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 4:00 am (02:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Mzuzu, Northern Region, Malawi, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 115 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
- PM2.5
- 55 µg/m³ 3.7× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 58 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 68 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 115
- Best hour today
- 9:00 pm AQI 116
- European AQI
- 63
Air quality in Mzuzu right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Mzuzu, Northern Region, Malawi is 115, 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 PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 115. 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 55 µg/m³, 3.7 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 58 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 68 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 13 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: carbon monoxide 242 µg/m³.
Mzuzu AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 115 around Mon 4:00 am to 122 around Mon 11:00 am, staying "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" throughout.
The following day is expected to be worse, averaging about 128 against 119 for the next 24 hours.
| Local time (Africa/Blantyre) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 4:00 am | 115 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 55.3 | 58 | 68 |
| Mon 7:00 am | 119 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 32.4 | 34 | 84 |
| Mon 10:00 am | 121 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 20.8 | 22 | 98 |
| Mon 1:00 pm | 121 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 28.9 | 31 | 112 |
| Mon 4:00 pm | 119 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 28 | 29 | 115 |
| Mon 7:00 pm | 117 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 45.3 | 47 | 86 |
| Mon 10:00 pm | 116 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 63.1 | 65 | 72 |
| Tue 1:00 am | 117 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 69.4 | 72 | 74 |
| Tue 4:00 am | 120 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 65.7 | 69 | 74 |
| Tue 7:00 am | 124 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 43.2 | 46 | 96 |
| Tue 10:00 am | 126 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 26.2 | 29 | 111 |
| Tue 1:00 pm | 128 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 32.6 | 35 | 123 |
| Tue 4:00 pm | 129 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 31.8 | 34 | 122 |
| Tue 7:00 pm | 130 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 48.4 | 51 | 91 |
| Tue 10:00 pm | 131 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 66.1 | 69 | 77 |
| Wed 1:00 am | 131 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 69.8 | 73 | 78 |
| Wed 4:00 am | 132 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 72.4 | 76 | 75 |
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 Mzuzu today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 9:00 pm (AQI 116, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) and the worst around 11:00 am (AQI 122). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
Mzuzu vs the rest of Malawi
Across 2 Malawi cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 53 (Moderate). Mzuzu at 115 is 62 points worse than average.
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near Mzuzu
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Songea | 198 km | 65 | Moderate | 19.3 |
| Lilongwe | 279 km | 48 | Good | 13.9 |
| Chipata | 283 km | 44 | Good | 9.5 |
| Mbeya | 292 km | 94 | Moderate | 43 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Mzuzu, 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 69 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 1900 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 6 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 115, 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 Mzuzu
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.