Air quality
Air quality in Shache today
Updated
Hazardous (US AQI 341) Emergency conditions: everyone should avoid all outdoor physical activity and stay indoors with filtered air if possible. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 1:00 am (19:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Shache, Xinjiang, China, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 341 Hazardous
- PM2.5
- 73 µg/m³ 4.8× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 212 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 36 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM10 sub-index 341
- Best hour today
- 9:00 pm AQI 187
- European AQI
- 85
Air quality in Shache right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Shache, Xinjiang, China is 341, which falls in the "Hazardous" band (301 and above). Emergency conditions: everyone should avoid all outdoor physical activity and stay indoors with filtered air if possible.
The index is driven mainly by PM10, whose own sub-index is 341. 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 73 µg/m³, 4.8 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 212 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 36 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 11 µg/m³ (below the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: desert dust at 276 µg/m³, high enough to haze the sky, carbon monoxide 750 µg/m³.
Shache AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 187 around Mon 9:00 pm to 341 around Mon 1:00 am, from "Unhealthy" at best to "Hazardous" at worst.
The following day is expected to be cleaner, averaging about 190 against 231 for the next 24 hours.
| Local time (Asia/Urumqi) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1:00 am | 341 | Hazardous | 72.6 | 212 | 36 |
| Mon 4:00 am | 293 | Very Unhealthy | 67.5 | 189 | 28 |
| Mon 7:00 am | 243 | Very Unhealthy | 65 | 173 | 23 |
| Mon 10:00 am | 235 | Very Unhealthy | 83.4 | 383 | 39 |
| Mon 1:00 pm | 228 | Very Unhealthy | 112.5 | 648 | 67 |
| Mon 4:00 pm | 197 | Unhealthy | 97.1 | 490 | 71 |
| Mon 7:00 pm | 189 | Unhealthy | 78.7 | 285 | 58 |
| Mon 10:00 pm | 188 | Unhealthy | 81.5 | 275 | 38 |
| Tue 1:00 am | 190 | Unhealthy | 78.5 | 257 | 33 |
| Tue 4:00 am | 193 | Unhealthy | 81.5 | 269 | 31 |
| Tue 7:00 am | 199 | Unhealthy | 88.2 | 266 | 23 |
| Tue 10:00 am | 207 | Very Unhealthy | 89.6 | 306 | 34 |
| Tue 1:00 pm | 191 | Unhealthy | 98.7 | 443 | 65 |
| Tue 4:00 pm | 184 | Unhealthy | 103.1 | 481 | 63 |
| Tue 7:00 pm | 183 | Unhealthy | 87.5 | 279 | 47 |
| Tue 10:00 pm | 181 | Unhealthy | 78.9 | 192 | 33 |
| Wed 1:00 am | 176 | Unhealthy | 78.9 | 177 | 24 |
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 Shache today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 9:00 pm (AQI 187, Unhealthy) and the worst around 8:00 am (AQI 244). That is a swing of 57 points, so a run or walk around 9:00 pm is noticeably better.
Shache vs the rest of China
Across 467 China cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 84 (Moderate). Shache at 341 is 257 points worse than average.
For context, the median across 3,909 cities worldwide is 56.
Air quality in cities near Shache
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kashgar | 159 km | 256 | Very Unhealthy | 97.6 |
| Artux | 170 km | 256 | Very Unhealthy | 97.6 |
| Gujangbagh | 278 km | 174 | Unhealthy | 94.3 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Shache, 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 113 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 2 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 116 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 341, 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 Shache
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.