Air quality
Air quality in Nouakchott today
Updated
Unhealthy (US AQI 156) Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed. Model estimate for Sun, Oct 25, 6:00 pm (18:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Nouakchott, Mauritania, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 156 Unhealthy
- PM2.5
- 40 µg/m³ 2.7× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 137 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 54 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 156
- Best hour today
- 9:00 pm AQI 154
- European AQI
- 65
Air quality in Nouakchott right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Nouakchott, Mauritania is 156, which falls in the "Unhealthy" band (up to 200). Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed.
The index is driven mainly by PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 156. 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 40 µg/m³, 2.7 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 137 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 54 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 0.9 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: desert dust at 186 µg/m³, high enough to haze the sky, carbon monoxide 162 µg/m³.
Nouakchott AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 125 around Mon 5:00 pm to 156 around Sun 6:00 pm, from "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" at best to "Unhealthy" at worst.
The following day is expected to be cleaner, averaging about 116 against 139 for the next 24 hours.
| Local time (Africa/Nouakchott) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 6:00 pm | 156 | Unhealthy | 40.4 | 137 | 54 |
| Sun 9:00 pm | 154 | Unhealthy | 49.2 | 97 | 45 |
| Mon 12:00 am | 151 | Unhealthy | 61.2 | 116 | 40 |
| Mon 3:00 am | 144 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 55.9 | 105 | 40 |
| Mon 6:00 am | 132 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 46.7 | 102 | 36 |
| Mon 9:00 am | 129 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 40.3 | 99 | 35 |
| Mon 12:00 pm | 129 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 32.6 | 163 | 55 |
| Mon 3:00 pm | 126 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 39.2 | 238 | 59 |
| Mon 6:00 pm | 125 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 41.3 | 205 | 58 |
| Mon 9:00 pm | 125 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 41 | 187 | 46 |
| Tue 12:00 am | 121 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 34.6 | 161 | 47 |
| Tue 3:00 am | 112 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 31.4 | 168 | 53 |
| Tue 6:00 am | 107 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 32.2 | 166 | 57 |
| Tue 9:00 am | 111 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 32.9 | 165 | 54 |
| Tue 12:00 pm | 114 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 27.8 | 175 | 77 |
| Tue 3:00 pm | 114 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 30.9 | 221 | 87 |
| Tue 6:00 pm | 114 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 38 | 262 | 83 |
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 Nouakchott today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 9:00 pm (AQI 154, Unhealthy) and the worst around 6:00 pm (AQI 156). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
Air quality in cities near Nouakchott
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touba | 359 km | 157 | Unhealthy | 43.2 |
| Mbaké | 367 km | 157 | Unhealthy | 43.2 |
| Thiès | 380 km | 165 | Unhealthy | 68.2 |
| Thiès Nones | 382 km | 165 | Unhealthy | 68.2 |
| Guédiawaye | 398 km | 167 | Unhealthy | 66.6 |
| Pikine | 399 km | 167 | Unhealthy | 66.6 |
| Rufisque | 399 km | 166 | Unhealthy | 70.8 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Nouakchott, 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 61 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 10 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 154 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 156, 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 Nouakchott
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.