Air quality
Air quality in Palu today
Updated
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (US AQI 134) 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, 6:45 am (22:45 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 134 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
- PM2.5
- 48 µg/m³ 3.2× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 51 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 35 µg/m³
Air quality in Palu right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia is 134, 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.
PM2.5 is 48 µg/m³, 3.2 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 51 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 35 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 8.2 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Palu vs the rest of Indonesia
Across 80 Indonesia cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 124 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Palu at 134 is 10 points worse than average.
It ranks 49 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 Palu
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samarinda | 307 km | 126 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 25.2 |
| Balikpapan | 341 km | 90 | Moderate | 24.9 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Palu, 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 48 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 246 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 13 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 134, 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 Palu
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.