Air quality
Air quality in Rafaḩ today
Updated
Moderate (US AQI 58) Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 3:00 am (01:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Rafaḩ, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 58 Moderate
- PM2.5
- 26 µg/m³ 1.7× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 44 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 40 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 58
- Best hour today
- 6:00 am AQI 63
- European AQI
- 46
Air quality in Rafaḩ right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Rafaḩ, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory is 58, which falls in the "Moderate" band (up to 100). Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors.
The index is driven mainly by PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 58. 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 26 µg/m³, 1.7 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 44 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 40 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 17 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: carbon monoxide 146 µg/m³.
Rafaḩ AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 58 around Mon 3:00 am to 82 around Mon 10:00 pm, staying "Moderate" throughout.
The following day looks similar, averaging about 70.
| Local time (Asia/Gaza) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 3:00 am | 58 | Moderate | 25.6 | 44 | 40 |
| Mon 6:00 am | 63 | Moderate | 35.1 | 42 | 35 |
| Mon 9:00 am | 68 | Moderate | 29.4 | 56 | 54 |
| Mon 12:00 pm | 73 | Moderate | 36.5 | 54 | 72 |
| Mon 3:00 pm | 78 | Moderate | 24.4 | 41 | 77 |
| Mon 6:00 pm | 80 | Moderate | 19.1 | 35 | 66 |
| Mon 9:00 pm | 81 | Moderate | 16.6 | 28 | 65 |
| Tue 12:00 am | 82 | Moderate | 16.3 | 29 | 58 |
| Tue 3:00 am | 81 | Moderate | 15.8 | 31 | 62 |
| Tue 6:00 am | 78 | Moderate | 18.7 | 31 | 56 |
| Tue 9:00 am | 75 | Moderate | 19.7 | 34 | 63 |
| Tue 12:00 pm | 72 | Moderate | 16.8 | 28 | 80 |
| Tue 3:00 pm | 67 | Moderate | 14.1 | 25 | 74 |
| Tue 6:00 pm | 65 | Moderate | 11.9 | 28 | 61 |
| Tue 9:00 pm | 64 | Moderate | 13.4 | 26 | 55 |
| Wed 12:00 am | 63 | Moderate | 16.7 | 29 | 43 |
| Wed 3:00 am | 63 | Moderate | 18.6 | 28 | 38 |
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 Rafaḩ today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 6:00 am (AQI 63, Moderate) and the worst around 7:00 pm (AQI 81). That is a swing of 18 points, so a run or walk around 6:00 am is noticeably better.
Rafaḩ vs the rest of Palestinian Territory
Across 2 Palestinian Territory cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 62 (Moderate). Rafaḩ at 58 is about average.
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near Rafaḩ
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaza | 31 km | 62 | Moderate | 29.6 |
| Jabālyā | 34 km | 62 | Moderate | 29.6 |
| Reẖovot | 85 km | 67 | Moderate | 22.8 |
| Rishon LeTsiyyon | 91 km | 67 | Moderate | 22.8 |
| Bat Yam | 93 km | 67 | Moderate | 22.8 |
| H̱olon | 94 km | 67 | Moderate | 22.8 |
| Tel Aviv | 101 km | 67 | Moderate | 22.8 |
| Ramat Gan | 102 km | 67 | Moderate | 22.8 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Rafaḩ, 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 38 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 14 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 76 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 58, most people are fine outdoors. If you are unusually sensitive to PM2.5, keep long or intense workouts to the cleaner hours shown above.
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 Rafaḩ
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.