Air quality in Calgary

Air quality index (AQI⁺) and PM2.5 air pollution in Calgary • 130.8K Followers • 19:00, Oct 08 Local time

31

US AQI⁺

Good

face expression based on aqi value

Main pollutant:

O₃

75.1 µg/m³

weather condition icon

50°

wind direction icon

6.2 km/h

weather humid icon

48 %

Hourly forecast

Calgary air quality index (AQI⁺) forecast

Now

31

Weather icon

50°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 63 degree

6.2

km/h

Humidity icon

48%

20:00

30

Weather icon

50°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 53 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

49%

21:00

30

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48°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 37 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

49%

22:00

29

Weather icon

48°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 1 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

50%

23:00

28

Weather icon

46°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 345 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

52%

Thu

00:00

30

Weather icon

43°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 340 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

56%

01:00

30

Weather icon

41°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 340 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

59%

02:00

29

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 328 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

61%

03:00

28

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37°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 310 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

63%

04:00

28

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 293 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

65%

05:00

28

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37°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 280 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

65%

06:00

31

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36°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 246 degree

0

km/h

Humidity icon

66%

07:00

31

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36°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 226 degree

0

km/h

Humidity icon

66%

08:00

31

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36°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 225 degree

0

km/h

Humidity icon

67%

09:00

34

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 209 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

60%

10:00

34

Weather icon

43°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 190 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

51%

11:00

34

Weather icon

46°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 166 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

44%

12:00

24

Weather icon

54°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 158 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

41%

13:00

24

Weather icon

52°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 160 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

39%

14:00

24

Weather icon

54°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 162 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

38%

15:00

17

Weather icon

55°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 161 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

37%

16:00

17

Weather icon

55°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 152 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

37%

17:00

17

Weather icon

55°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 154 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

38%

18:00

13

Weather icon

54°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 142 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

43%

19:00

13

Weather icon

48°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 143 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

49%

20:00

13

Weather icon

46°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 160 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

53%

21:00

14

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45°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 167 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

56%

22:00

14

Weather icon

43°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 169 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

58%

23:00

14

Weather icon

43°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 162 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

60%

Fri

00:00

16

Weather icon

41°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 167 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

63%

01:00

16

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41°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 182 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

66%

02:00

16

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41°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 189 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

69%

03:00

16

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39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 189 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

73%

04:00

16

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39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 182 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

75%

05:00

16

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39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 172 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

77%

06:00

16

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39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 175 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

79%

07:00

16

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39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 181 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

80%

08:00

16

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39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 182 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

80%

09:00

19

Weather icon

41°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 172 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

73%

10:00

19

Weather icon

46°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 167 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

62%

11:00

19

Weather icon

52°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 162 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

52%

12:00

16

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55°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 164 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

45%

13:00

16

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61°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 157 degree

11.2

km/h

Humidity icon

39%

14:00

16

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63°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 157 degree

11.2

km/h

Humidity icon

35%

15:00

11

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64°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 152 degree

11.2

km/h

Humidity icon

33%

16:00

11

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64°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 150 degree

11.2

km/h

Humidity icon

33%

17:00

11

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64°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 151 degree

11.2

km/h

Humidity icon

35%

18:00

10

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61°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 149 degree

11.2

km/h

Humidity icon

38%

19:00

10

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55°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 156 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

44%

20:00

10

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52°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 164 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

48%

21:00

9

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50°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 190 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

51%

22:00

9

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52°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 206 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

49%

23:00

9

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54°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 211 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

45%

Sat

00:00

11

Weather icon

54°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 220 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

43%

01:00

11

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54°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 216 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

42%

02:00

11

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55°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 217 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

40%

03:00

11

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54°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 234 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

44%

04:00

11

Weather icon

52°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 218 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

48%

05:00

11

Weather icon

50°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 204 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

51%

06:00

11

Weather icon

50°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 200 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

52%

07:00

11

Weather icon

50°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 200 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

53%

08:00

11

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50°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 198 degree

11.2

km/h

Humidity icon

52%

09:00

15

Weather icon

52°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 198 degree

13.4

km/h

Humidity icon

49%

10:00

15

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55°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 202 degree

11.2

km/h

Humidity icon

46%

11:00

15

Weather icon

59°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 217 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

39%

12:00

14

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61°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 247 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

33%

13:00

14

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63°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 242 degree

13.4

km/h

Humidity icon

29%

14:00

14

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63°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 252 degree

11.2

km/h

Humidity icon

26%

15:00

12

Weather icon

63°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 290 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

27%

16:00

12

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63°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 341 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

27%

17:00

12

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40%

48°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 353 degree

26.8

km/h

Humidity icon

69%

18:00

11

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30%

43°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 344 degree

22.4

km/h

Humidity icon

80%

19:00

11

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100%

36°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 326 degree

20.1

km/h

Humidity icon

92%

Daily forecast

|

Calgary air quality index (AQI⁺) forecast

Today

26

Weather icon

55°

36°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 162 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

39%

Thu

16

Weather icon

64°

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 150 degree

11.2

km/h

Humidity icon

39%

Fri

12

Weather icon

100%

63°

34°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 353 degree

26.8

km/h

Humidity icon

29%

Air pollutants

What is the current air quality in Calgary?

IQAir Check icon

PM2.5 concentration currently meets the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline.

Health recommendations

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Enjoy outdoor activities

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Open your windows to bring clean, fresh air indoors

Get a monitor

Pollen

What is the pollen count in Calgary today?

Index

Pollen global icon

None

Pollen tree icon

Tree

None

0%
Pollen grass icon

Grass

None

0%
Pollen weed icon

Weed

None

0%
Pollen forecast in Calgary

Health recommendations

common.healthRecommendationComp.icons.exerciseAlt

Enjoy outdoor activities

common.healthRecommendationComp.icons.windowAlt

Open your windows to bring clean, fresh air indoors

Get a monitor

Pollen

What is the pollen count in Calgary today?

Index

Pollen global icon

None

Pollen tree icon

Tree

None

0%
Pollen grass icon

Grass

None

0%
Pollen weed icon

Weed

None

0%
Pollen forecast in Calgary

Most polluted locations near Calgary

Worldwide AQI⁺ rankingArrow icon

Station ranking

Real-time Canada AQI⁺ station ranking

#StationsAQI⁺ US
1
The national flag of Canada

Altadore 44 Ave SW

53

2
The national flag of Canada

Terra Del Sol

44

3
The national flag of Canada

West Hillhurst

44

4
The national flag of Canada

Homestead

39

5
The national flag of Canada

CALGARY SOUTHEAST

34

6
The national flag of Canada

Calgary Central2

32

7
The national flag of Canada

Calgary North Glenmore

28

8
The national flag of Canada

McKenzie Lake

28

9
The national flag of Canada

5705 23 Ave SE

24

10
The national flag of Canada

Ranchridge Court Calgary

24

City ranking

Real-time Canada AQI⁺ city ranking

#CitiesAQI⁺ US
1
The national flag of Canada

Agassiz, British Columbia

125

2
The national flag of Canada

Nelson, British Columbia

55

3
The national flag of Canada

Penticton, British Columbia

44

4
The national flag of Canada

Golden, British Columbia

38

5
The national flag of Canada

Halifax, Nova Scotia

36

6
The national flag of Canada

Summerland, British Columbia

36

7
The national flag of Canada

Hope, British Columbia

35

8
The national flag of Canada

Abbotsford, British Columbia

34

9
The national flag of Canada

Regina, Saskatchewan

34

10
The national flag of Canada

Calgary, Alberta

31

History

Historic air quality graph for Calgary

22 AQI⁺ US
Good
18:00 Oct 08 Local time
AQI⁺ US

History

Historic air quality graph for Calgary

22 AQI⁺ US
Good
18:00 Oct 08 Local time
AQI⁺ US

Most polluted locations near Calgary

Worldwide AQI⁺ rankingArrow icon

Station ranking

Real-time Canada AQI⁺ station ranking

#StationsAQI⁺ US
1
The national flag of Canada

Altadore 44 Ave SW

53

2
The national flag of Canada

Terra Del Sol

44

3
The national flag of Canada

West Hillhurst

44

4
The national flag of Canada

Homestead

39

5
The national flag of Canada

CALGARY SOUTHEAST

34

6
The national flag of Canada

Calgary Central2

32

7
The national flag of Canada

Calgary North Glenmore

28

8
The national flag of Canada

McKenzie Lake

28

9
The national flag of Canada

5705 23 Ave SE

24

10
The national flag of Canada

Ranchridge Court Calgary

24

City ranking

Real-time Canada AQI⁺ city ranking

#CitiesAQI⁺ US
1
The national flag of Canada

Agassiz, British Columbia

125

2
The national flag of Canada

Nelson, British Columbia

55

3
The national flag of Canada

Penticton, British Columbia

44

4
The national flag of Canada

Golden, British Columbia

38

5
The national flag of Canada

Halifax, Nova Scotia

36

6
The national flag of Canada

Summerland, British Columbia

36

7
The national flag of Canada

Hope, British Columbia

35

8
The national flag of Canada

Abbotsford, British Columbia

34

9
The national flag of Canada

Regina, Saskatchewan

34

10
The national flag of Canada

Calgary, Alberta

31

Measure your own air quality

Get a monitor and contribute air quality data in your city.

Is Calgary a city with a good quality of air?

Calgary is a city located in the southern region of Canada, not far from the northern border of the United States, and is contained within the province of Alberta. It saw a huge amount of development due to being at the center of Canadas oil industry, and is now a well developed city with many skyscrapers and a good urban infrastructure. It has a population of approximately 1.58 million people, making it the most populous city in the province of Alberta, and second out of all cities in the western portion of Canada.

It has a strong economy centered around energy production industries, the finance sector, entertainment, technology and many more, being home to many corporate headquarters and head offices. Whilst these are all great factors for quality of life for its inhabitants, it can occasionally have an effect on the pollution levels, bringing the numbers to less than appreciable levels. Whilst overall it has a very good quality of air in regards to cities worldwide, there are certain months when the pollution levels rise.

In 2019, Calgary came in at 3828th place out of all cities ranked worldwide, with a PM2.5 reading of 6.9 μg/m³, one that placed it into the World Health Organizations (WHO's) target rating for the best quality of air at 10 μg/m³ or less, with the closer to 0 a city achieves of course being the most optimal. This very respectable reading of 6.9 μg/m³ also placed it in 71st place out of all cities ranked in Canada, showing how good the countries overall air quality is, which in itself ranks 90th out of all 98 countries registered worldwide, being one of the countries that sees some of the cleaner air qualities round the globe.

What are some of the main causes of air pollution in Calgary?

Whilst much of the year sees a great level of air quality, there are times when these PM2.5 readings rise considerably, which will be discussed in more detail in following. PM2.5 refers to particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, on occasion going down to sizes as small as 0.001 microns across. Due to this extremely small size, it has the potential to cause significant damage to human health, and as such is used as a major component in the calculation of the overall AQI, or air quality index.

Some of the main causes of pollution in Calgary would be emissions from vehicles, ranging from personal ones such as motorbikes and cars, up to industrial or service ones such as trucks, lorries and buses, with these larger ones often releasing higher amounts of fumes and thus being a significant contributor to pollution levels, as well as releasing microscopic traces of rubber on the roads in large quantities. Other causes include ones such as industrial emissions, coming from factories and power plants, as well as the agricultural sector. Construction sites can release numerous contaminating chemicals and fine particulate matter into the air, and lastly, the burning of wood by individual citizens can also skew the air quality readings, leading to higher numbers being shown.

What are some of the main pollutants found in the air in Calgary?

Due to a large amount of sectors and industries contributing to pollution levels in Calgary, there would be a wide variety of chemical contaminants and fine particulate matter permeating the ground level air and upper atmosphere in Calgary. Some of these would be ones that see their release from vehicles, which include black carbon, the main component of soot and a potent carcinogen when inhaled. It also has prominent effects on the environment due to its property of absorbing solar radiation and releasing it as heat, having climate altering effects if left to gather in large enough quantities. Other chemicals released from vehicles include nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), with nitrogen dioxide always being the most prominent offender when it comes to pollution found over areas of high traffic.

Other noteworthy pollutants in the air would be volatile organic compounds (VOC's) such as benzene, methylene chloride and formaldehyde, of great danger to human health due to their ability to maintain a gaseous state at much colder temperatures, and thus much easier to respire. In closing, others found in the air would be microscopic particles of rubber and plastic, as well as finely ground silica and concrete dust released from construction sites, alongside dioxins, furans and even the occasional toxic metal such as lead or mercury.

When is the air quality at its best in Calgary?

Going off the data gathered over the course of 2019, Calgary saw its best levels of air quality in the months of June through to November, and whilst the whole year itself came in with respectable readings within the WHO's target goal (aside from one month that came in significantly higher, which was May with a reading of 14.4 μg/m³), there were periods where the PM2.5 levels dropped even lower, albeit without as strong a pattern as some other cities that see distinct summer and winter seasons occurring.

The cleanest months of the year were April (somewhat anomalous due to being sandwiched between two much more polluted months), June, September and November, all with PM2.5 readings of 4.9 μg/m³, 4.9 μg/m³, 4.4 μg/m³ and 4.9 μg/m³ respectively, with the number 4.9 μg/m³ making multiple appearances. This indicates that September was the cleanest month of the entire year during 2019 with its reading of 4.4 μg/m³.

Is the air quality improving in Calgary?

Looking at the data taken in the years prior to 2019, we can observe that there was a difference in the yearly averages available. 2017 came in with a PM2.5 average of 7.5 μg/m³, a respectable reading by any means that was still within the WHO's target goal. This was followed in 2018 with a yearly average of 10.9 μg/m³, one that represented a significant jump that was enough to earn itself a place in the ‘good’ ratings bracket, which requires a PM2.5 reading of anywhere between 10 to 12 μg/m³ for classification. So, in hindsight, with 2019’s reading of 6.9 μg/m³ being available, it is clear that the air quality has improved over the last two years, a great indicator that any initiatives in place to clean up the air are indeed working, and may see further improvements over the following years.

Begin your journey for cleaner air #IQAir