Air quality
Air quality in Umm Qaşr today
Updated
Unhealthy (US AQI 153) Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 4:00 am (01:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Umm Qaşr, Basra, Iraq, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 153 Unhealthy
- PM2.5
- 84 µg/m³ 5.6× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 96 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 4 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 153
- Best hour today
- 6:00 am AQI 155
- European AQI
- 77
Air quality in Umm Qaşr right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Umm Qaşr, Basra, Iraq is 153, which falls in the "Unhealthy" band (up to 200). Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed.
The index is driven mainly by PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 153. 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 84 µg/m³, 5.6 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 96 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 4 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 60 µg/m³ (above the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: carbon monoxide 227 µg/m³.
Umm Qaşr AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 153 around Mon 4:00 am to 164 around Mon 7:00 pm, staying "Unhealthy" throughout.
The following day is expected to be worse, averaging about 168 against 161 for the next 24 hours.
| Local time (Asia/Baghdad) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 4:00 am | 153 | Unhealthy | 83.6 | 96 | 4 |
| Mon 7:00 am | 157 | Unhealthy | 100.6 | 106 | 27 |
| Mon 10:00 am | 161 | Unhealthy | 31.8 | 41 | 101 |
| Mon 1:00 pm | 162 | Unhealthy | 29.3 | 66 | 149 |
| Mon 4:00 pm | 163 | Unhealthy | 32.7 | 96 | 126 |
| Mon 7:00 pm | 164 | Unhealthy | 82.7 | 121 | 51 |
| Mon 10:00 pm | 162 | Unhealthy | 106.2 | 137 | 0 |
| Tue 1:00 am | 161 | Unhealthy | 98.7 | 132 | 0 |
| Tue 4:00 am | 160 | Unhealthy | 108.3 | 144 | 0 |
| Tue 7:00 am | 163 | Unhealthy | 110.1 | 141 | 16 |
| Tue 10:00 am | 165 | Unhealthy | 69.2 | 144 | 92 |
| Tue 1:00 pm | 168 | Unhealthy | 53 | 135 | 163 |
| Tue 4:00 pm | 170 | Unhealthy | 56.6 | 171 | 124 |
| Tue 7:00 pm | 171 | Unhealthy | 80.6 | 191 | 42 |
| Tue 10:00 pm | 171 | Unhealthy | 88.9 | 129 | 11 |
| Wed 1:00 am | 170 | Unhealthy | 121.5 | 152 | 20 |
| Wed 4:00 am | 173 | Unhealthy | 164.8 | 198 | 19 |
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 Umm Qaşr today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 6:00 am (AQI 155, Unhealthy) and the worst around 7:00 pm (AQI 164). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
Umm Qaşr vs the rest of Iraq
Across 22 Iraq cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 73 (Moderate). Umm Qaşr at 153 is 80 points worse than average.
For context, the median across 3,556 cities worldwide is 58.
Air quality in cities near Umm Qaşr
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Az Zubayr | 45 km | 109 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 45.2 |
| Abū al-Kahṣīb | 45 km | 73 | Moderate | 24.2 |
| Khorramshahr | 52 km | 73 | Moderate | 24.2 |
| Basrah | 54 km | 109 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 45.2 |
| Al Aḩmadī | 108 km | 135 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 62.4 |
| Ahvaz | 160 km | 75 | Moderate | 43.9 |
| Nasiriyah | 196 km | 59 | Moderate | 16.2 |
| Al ‘Amārah | 213 km | 72 | Moderate | 34.3 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Umm Qaşr, 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 108 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 627 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 21 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 153, 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 Umm Qaşr
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.