Air quality
Air quality in San Cristóbal de las Casas today
Updated
Good (US AQI 44) Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. Model estimate for Sun, Oct 25, 2:00 pm (20:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 44 Good
- PM2.5
- 3.7 µg/m³ 0.2× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 4.8 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 83 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 44
- Best hour today
- 8:00 pm AQI 41
- European AQI
- 32
Air quality in San Cristóbal de las Casas right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico is 44, 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.
The index is driven mainly by PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 44. 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 3.7 µg/m³, within the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 4.8 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 83 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 0.1 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: UV index 5.3, carbon monoxide 124 µg/m³.
NASA FIRMS shows 114 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 107 km), but particle levels are not elevated enough to point to smoke right now.
San Cristóbal de las Casas AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 41 around Sun 8:00 pm to 46 around Mon 1:00 pm, staying "Good" throughout.
The following day looks similar, averaging about 41.
| Local time (America/Merida) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 2:00 pm | 44 | Good | 3.7 | 5 | 83 |
| Sun 5:00 pm | 43 | Good | 6 | 8 | 69 |
| Sun 8:00 pm | 41 | Good | 9.8 | 11 | 37 |
| Sun 11:00 pm | 41 | Good | 12 | 13 | 21 |
| Mon 2:00 am | 42 | Good | 10.9 | 12 | 27 |
| Mon 5:00 am | 42 | Good | 10.1 | 11 | 28 |
| Mon 8:00 am | 43 | Good | 8.1 | 10 | 77 |
| Mon 11:00 am | 45 | Good | 5.1 | 6 | 104 |
| Mon 2:00 pm | 46 | Good | 3.2 | 4 | 96 |
| Mon 5:00 pm | 45 | Good | 4 | 5 | 72 |
| Mon 8:00 pm | 44 | Good | 8.2 | 9 | 42 |
| Mon 11:00 pm | 42 | Good | 8.8 | 10 | 36 |
| Tue 2:00 am | 40 | Good | 8.2 | 9 | 40 |
| Tue 5:00 am | 39 | Good | 8 | 9 | 33 |
| Tue 8:00 am | 37 | Good | 6.8 | 8 | 76 |
| Tue 11:00 am | 36 | Good | 5 | 6 | 100 |
| Tue 2:00 pm | 38 | Good | 3.9 | 5 | 90 |
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 San Cristóbal de las Casas today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 8:00 pm (AQI 41, Good) and the worst around 2:00 pm (AQI 44). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
San Cristóbal de las Casas vs the rest of Mexico
Across 100 Mexico cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 45 (Good). San Cristóbal de las Casas at 44 is about average.
For context, the median across 3,909 cities worldwide is 56.
Air quality in cities near San Cristóbal de las Casas
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuxtla | 51 km | 49 | Good | 5.6 |
| Villahermosa | 143 km | 51 | Moderate | 7.2 |
| Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez | 206 km | 66 | Moderate | 12 |
| Coatzacoalcos | 248 km | 41 | Good | 8.8 |
| Zaragoza, Chimaltenango | 298 km | 64 | Moderate | 6.6 |
| Mixco | 319 km | 62 | Moderate | 5.1 |
| Chinautla | 321 km | 62 | Moderate | 5.1 |
| Guatemala City | 325 km | 62 | Moderate | 5.1 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of San Cristóbal de las Casas, 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 44, 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 San Cristóbal de las Casas
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.