Air quality
Air quality in Oak Bay today
Updated
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (US AQI 101) People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. Model estimate for Tue, Nov 3, 9:00 pm (04:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 101 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
- PM2.5
- 41 µg/m³ 2.7× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 42 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 9 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 101
- Best hour tomorrow
- 9:00 pm AQI 83
- European AQI
- 61
Air quality in Oak Bay right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada is 101, 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 101. 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 41 µg/m³, 2.7 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 42 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 9 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 62 µg/m³ (above the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: carbon monoxide 736 µg/m³.
Oak Bay AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 83 around Wed 9:00 pm to 106 around Wed 2:00 am, from "Moderate" at best to "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" at worst.
The following day is expected to be cleaner, averaging about 67 against 99 for the next 24 hours.
| Local time (America/Vancouver) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 9:00 pm | 101 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 41 | 42 | 9 |
| Wed 12:00 am | 104 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 41 | 43 | 20 |
| Wed 3:00 am | 106 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 32.2 | 34 | 22 |
| Wed 6:00 am | 105 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 25.3 | 27 | 27 |
| Wed 9:00 am | 103 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 17.1 | 19 | 40 |
| Wed 12:00 pm | 97 | Moderate | 15.4 | 18 | 48 |
| Wed 3:00 pm | 92 | Moderate | 19.7 | 22 | 32 |
| Wed 6:00 pm | 87 | Moderate | 25.4 | 28 | 15 |
| Wed 9:00 pm | 83 | Moderate | 29.1 | 32 | 10 |
| Thu 12:00 am | 80 | Moderate | 18.5 | 20 | 31 |
| Thu 3:00 am | 74 | Moderate | 7.1 | 9 | 56 |
| Thu 6:00 am | 68 | Moderate | 4 | 7 | 75 |
| Thu 9:00 am | 64 | Moderate | 4.1 | 6 | 67 |
| Thu 12:00 pm | 61 | Moderate | 6.8 | 8 | 55 |
| Thu 3:00 pm | 59 | Moderate | 6.7 | 8 | 53 |
| Thu 6:00 pm | 55 | Moderate | 6 | 7 | 56 |
| Thu 9:00 pm | 50 | Good | 6.5 | 8 | 51 |
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 Oak Bay tomorrow
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air tomorrow is forecast around 9:00 pm (AQI 83, Moderate) and the worst around 6:00 am (AQI 105). That is a swing of 22 points, so a run or walk around 9:00 pm is noticeably better.
Oak Bay vs the rest of Canada
Across 79 Canada cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 52 (Moderate). Oak Bay at 101 is 49 points worse than average.
For context, the median across 4,262 cities worldwide is 59.
Air quality in cities near Oak Bay
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria, BC | 4 km | 101 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 41 |
| Saanich | 12 km | 101 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 41 |
| Delta | 73 km | 121 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 90.6 |
| Surrey | 81 km | 88 | Moderate | 56.6 |
| Richmond, BC | 81 km | 121 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 90.6 |
| Langley | 86 km | 88 | Moderate | 56.6 |
| Riley Park | 90 km | 121 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 90.6 |
| Vancouver | 90 km | 121 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 90.6 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Oak Bay, 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
At 101, 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 Oak Bay
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).