Air quality
Air quality in Palembang today
Updated
Unhealthy (US AQI 174) Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 9:00 am (02:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 174 Unhealthy
- PM2.5
- 74 µg/m³ 4.9× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 76 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 122 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 174
- Best hour today
- 9:00 am AQI 174
- European AQI
- 72
Air quality in Palembang right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia is 174, 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 174. 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 74 µg/m³, 4.9 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 76 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 122 µg/m³ (above the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 7.7 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: UV index 2.5, carbon monoxide 801 µg/m³.
Palembang AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 174 around Mon 9:00 am to 202 around Mon 7:00 pm, from "Unhealthy" at best to "Very Unhealthy" at worst.
The following day looks similar, averaging about 189.
| Local time (Asia/Jakarta) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 9:00 am | 174 | Unhealthy | 73.8 | 76 | 122 |
| Mon 12:00 pm | 176 | Unhealthy | 61.2 | 63 | 190 |
| Mon 3:00 pm | 177 | Unhealthy | 84.1 | 86 | 237 |
| Mon 6:00 pm | 199 | Unhealthy | 151.3 | 155 | 193 |
| Mon 9:00 pm | 200 | Unhealthy | 189.5 | 194 | 159 |
| Tue 12:00 am | 191 | Unhealthy | 176 | 181 | 108 |
| Tue 3:00 am | 196 | Unhealthy | 145.3 | 149 | 46 |
| Tue 6:00 am | 199 | Unhealthy | 126.2 | 129 | 30 |
| Tue 9:00 am | 201 | Very Unhealthy | 73.1 | 77 | 119 |
| Tue 12:00 pm | 201 | Very Unhealthy | 60.5 | 65 | 186 |
| Tue 3:00 pm | 201 | Very Unhealthy | 81.5 | 85 | 201 |
| Tue 6:00 pm | 199 | Unhealthy | 110.1 | 113 | 154 |
| Tue 9:00 pm | 194 | Unhealthy | 75.7 | 78 | 89 |
| Wed 12:00 am | 183 | Unhealthy | 69.8 | 72 | 67 |
| Wed 3:00 am | 175 | Unhealthy | 79.4 | 82 | 88 |
| Wed 6:00 am | 170 | Unhealthy | 68 | 69 | 107 |
| Wed 9:00 am | 165 | Unhealthy | 57.2 | 58 | 138 |
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 Palembang today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 9:00 am (AQI 174, Unhealthy) and the worst around 7:00 pm (AQI 202). That is a swing of 28 points, so a run or walk around 9:00 am is noticeably better.
Palembang vs the rest of Indonesia
Across 80 Indonesia cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 124 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Palembang at 174 is 50 points worse than average.
It ranks 55 of 80 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Banda Aceh (30) and the most polluted Palangkaraya (500).
For context, the median across 3,909 cities worldwide is 57.
Air quality in cities near Palembang
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jambi City | 193 km | 62 | Moderate | 49 |
| Bandar Lampung | 285 km | 51 | Moderate | 10.9 |
| Bengkulu | 292 km | 55 | Moderate | 11.6 |
| Cilegon | 374 km | 95 | Moderate | 35.4 |
| Serang | 388 km | 95 | Moderate | 35.4 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Palembang, 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 191 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 85 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 68 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 174, 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 Palembang
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.