Air quality
Air quality in Queenstown today
Updated
Good (US AQI 30) Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 12:48 am (22:48 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Queenstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 30 Good
- PM2.5
- 2.5 µg/m³ 0.2× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 3.3 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 55 µg/m³
Air quality in Queenstown right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Queenstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa is 30, which falls in the "Good" band (up to 50). Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity.
PM2.5 is 2.5 µg/m³, within the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 3.3 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 55 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 1.4 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
NASA FIRMS shows 106 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 133 km), but particle levels are not elevated enough to point to smoke right now.
Queenstown vs the rest of South Africa
Across 50 South Africa cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 59 (Moderate). Queenstown at 30 is 29 points cleaner than average.
It ranks 2 of 50 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Paarl (30) and the most polluted Alberton (80).
For context, the median across 3,909 cities worldwide is 57.
Air quality in cities near Queenstown
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East London | 158 km | 51 | Moderate | 9.5 |
| Mthatha | 184 km | 51 | Moderate | 4 |
| Motherwell | 243 km | 52 | Moderate | 12 |
| Kariega | 248 km | 52 | Moderate | 12 |
| Gqeberha | 258 km | 59 | Moderate | 23.3 |
| Botshabelo | 293 km | 42 | Good | 3.8 |
| Maseru | 293 km | 39 | Good | 5.6 |
| Bloemfontein | 315 km | 41 | Good | 4.3 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Queenstown, 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
With the AQI at 30, there is no need for sensitive groups to change plans. People with asthma should still carry their reliever inhaler as usual.
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 Queenstown
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.