Type a city name and press Check air quality, or use Use my location - the result shows the US AQI number, category band, and PM2.5 / PM10 / ozone levels.
- Type a city name (or keep the "New York" default) and press Check air quality.
- Or press Use my location to check air quality at your current position instead - no typing needed.
- Read the result: the current US AQI number, its category band, PM2.5 / PM10 / ozone levels, and a 3-day peak-AQI forecast table.
Live AQI Checker by City
Check the current air quality (US AQI) for any city, right in the browser.
How air-quality data reaches this page
Data comes live from Open-Meteo's free air-quality API - nothing is uploaded and no account is required; the city search uses Open-Meteo's geocoding API.
Location access is optional and only requested after you press Use my location; the browser asks for permission each time you use it, and typing a city name instead needs no permissions at all.
A 3-day peak-AQI forecast table below the result answers "will it improve tomorrow" for wildfire-smoke or pollution spikes.
US AQI bands
| US AQI range | Category |
|---|---|
| 0 - 50 | Good |
| 51 - 100 | Moderate |
| 101 - 150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups |
| 151 - 200 | Unhealthy |
| 201 - 300 | Very Unhealthy |
| 301 - 500 | Hazardous |
These are the same six bands the tool's own bands table and the color badge next to your result use, so a reading of 62 always maps to "Moderate" whether you check New York, your own city, or your current location.
Why the 3-day forecast can jump even on a mostly-calm day
The forecast row for each of the next 3 days is not an average of that day's hourly readings - it is the single highest hourly US AQI value Open-Meteo predicts for that day. So if a wildfire-smoke plume is expected to pass through for just a couple of hours in the afternoon, tomorrow's row on Live AQI Checker by City will show that spike's category, even though most of the day is forecast to stay clean. Read the forecast row as "the worst it gets that day," not "the typical hour that day."
The tool also asks Open-Meteo specifically for the US AQI parameter, not the EU AQI parameter the same API can return. The two scales use different math and different pollutant weighting, so comparing a reading here against another app that reports the EU scale will not line up, even for the exact same city at the exact same moment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Live AQI Checker by City do?
Check the current air quality (US AQI) for any city, right in the browser.
When should I reach for live aqi checker by city?
A 3-day peak-AQI forecast table below the result answers "will it improve tomorrow" for wildfire-smoke or pollution spikes.
Does this replace an indoor air-quality sensor or a health advisory?
No. It reports outdoor ambient air quality only - not an indoor air-quality sensor reading and not a substitute for local health advisories during a smoke event.
Is this an official EPA or AirNow reading?
No. The AQI, PM2.5, PM10, and ozone numbers are modeled by Open-Meteo's forecast system, not measured by a government ground monitoring station, so a reading here can differ from an official AirNow or EPA report for the same city.
Does Live AQI Checker by City keep a history of past AQI readings?
No. The tool shows only the current reading and the upcoming 3-day forecast window - it does not store or display any past day's AQI.
Why does my result show a different number than an app reporting the EU AQI scale?
Live AQI Checker by City requests the US AQI parameter specifically, not the EU AQI parameter the same underlying API can also return. The US and EU scales use different math, so the same pollution level can produce two different numbers depending on which scale an app asks for.
What do the AQI numbers on Live AQI Checker by City mean?
Live AQI Checker by City colors every result using the same six US AQI bands the EPA defines, from 0 to 500:
What do PM2.5, PM10, and ozone mean next to the AQI number?
Live AQI Checker by City always shows three separate pollutant readings next to the single AQI number: PM2.5 and PM10 (particulate matter, measured in micrograms per cubic meter) and ozone. PM2.5 covers the smallest, lung-penetrating particles - typically from wildfire smoke, vehicle exhaust, or industrial sources - while PM10 covers slightly larger particles such as dust, pollen, and mold spores. Ozone is a gas that forms when sunlight reacts with other pollutants, so it tends to build on hot, sunny afternoons rather than overnight. All three numbers come from the same Open-Meteo forecast as the AQI figure itself, so they update together every time you run a new lookup.