Air quality in Calgary

Air quality index (AQI⁺) and PM2.5 air pollution in Calgary • 137.2K Followers • 11:00, Oct 29 Local time

22

US AQI⁺

Good

face expression based on aqi value

Main pollutant:

NO₂

44.5 µg/m³

weather condition icon

48°

wind direction icon

28.8 km/h

weather humid icon

35 %

Hourly forecast

Calgary air quality index (AQI⁺) forecast

Now

22

Weather icon

48°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 280 degree

28.8

km/h

Humidity icon

35%

12:00

21

Weather icon

48°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 289 degree

13.4

km/h

Humidity icon

34%

13:00

20

Weather icon

50°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 283 degree

15.7

km/h

Humidity icon

31%

14:00

19

Weather icon

52°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 282 degree

15.7

km/h

Humidity icon

29%

15:00

17

Weather icon

52°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 295 degree

15.7

km/h

Humidity icon

27%

16:00

15

Weather icon

52°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 280 degree

13.4

km/h

Humidity icon

28%

17:00

14

Weather icon

48°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 281 degree

11.2

km/h

Humidity icon

30%

18:00

13

Weather icon

45°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 270 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

37%

19:00

11

Weather icon

43°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 267 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

42%

20:00

10

Weather icon

41°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 280 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

43%

21:00

9

Weather icon

41°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 284 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

48%

22:00

7

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 281 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

58%

23:00

6

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 284 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

62%

Thu

00:00

6

Weather icon

37°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 282 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

64%

01:00

6

Weather icon

34°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 281 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

64%

02:00

6

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 283 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

68%

03:00

6

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 288 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

69%

04:00

6

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 296 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

70%

05:00

6

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 295 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

70%

06:00

6

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 293 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

70%

07:00

6

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 286 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

71%

08:00

6

Weather icon

30°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 280 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

73%

09:00

6

Weather icon

30°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 270 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

72%

10:00

6

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 253 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

62%

11:00

6

Weather icon

36°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 228 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

55%

12:00

6

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 210 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

50%

13:00

6

Weather icon

41°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 198 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

46%

14:00

6

Weather icon

43°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 194 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

42%

15:00

6

Weather icon

45°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 187 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

39%

16:00

6

Weather icon

45°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 191 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

38%

17:00

6

Weather icon

43°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 169 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

42%

18:00

6

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 146 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

47%

19:00

6

Weather icon

36°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 182 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

50%

20:00

6

Weather icon

36°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 236 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

51%

21:00

7

Weather icon

36°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 259 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

53%

22:00

7

Weather icon

34°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 272 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

54%

23:00

7

Weather icon

34°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 271 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

56%

Fri

00:00

7

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 275 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

60%

01:00

7

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 265 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

62%

02:00

7

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 247 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

65%

03:00

9

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 255 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

66%

04:00

9

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 261 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

66%

05:00

9

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 259 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

67%

06:00

11

Weather icon

30°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 264 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

69%

07:00

11

Weather icon

30°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 259 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

71%

08:00

11

Weather icon

28°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 270 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

70%

09:00

12

Weather icon

30°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 248 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

66%

10:00

12

Weather icon

32°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 206 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

54%

11:00

12

Weather icon

36°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 169 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

45%

12:00

11

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 171 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

38%

13:00

11

Weather icon

43°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 164 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

33%

14:00

11

Weather icon

45°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 167 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

30%

15:00

7

Weather icon

46°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 164 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

29%

16:00

7

Weather icon

46°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 152 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

31%

17:00

7

Weather icon

45°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 136 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

33%

18:00

6

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 142 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

39%

19:00

6

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 172 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

42%

20:00

6

Weather icon

37°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 213 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

45%

21:00

6

Weather icon

37°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 224 degree

0

km/h

Humidity icon

47%

22:00

6

Weather icon

37°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 233 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

50%

23:00

6

Weather icon

36°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 178 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

50%

Sat

00:00

6

Weather icon

37°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 242 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

48%

01:00

6

Weather icon

37°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 221 degree

2.2

km/h

Humidity icon

47%

02:00

6

Weather icon

37°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 227 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

47%

03:00

6

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 242 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

45%

04:00

6

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 264 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

47%

05:00

6

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 261 degree

4.5

km/h

Humidity icon

47%

06:00

6

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 262 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

48%

07:00

6

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 258 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

49%

08:00

6

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 258 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

51%

09:00

6

Weather icon

39°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 268 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

52%

10:00

6

Weather icon

41°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 261 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

51%

11:00

6

Weather icon

45°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 259 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

48%

Daily forecast

|

Calgary air quality index (AQI⁺) forecast

Today

19

Weather icon

52°

36°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 282 degree

15.7

km/h

Humidity icon

31%

Thu

6

Weather icon

45°

30°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 281 degree

6.7

km/h

Humidity icon

46%

Fri

9

Weather icon

46°

28°

IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map Wind rotating 164 degree

8.9

km/h

Humidity icon

33%

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

Nolan Hill

31

2
The national flag of Canada

CALGARY SOUTHEAST

28

3
The national flag of Canada

Springbank

28

4
The national flag of Canada

5705 23 Ave SE

27

5
The national flag of Canada

26-54 Macewan Park View NW

26

6
The national flag of Canada

Ranchridge Court Calgary

23

7
The national flag of Canada

469-555 85 St SW

22

8
The national flag of Canada

72 Ave NE

22

9
The national flag of Canada

Silverview DR Silver Springs

22

10
The national flag of Canada

3815 16 St SW

21

City ranking

Real-time Canada AQI⁺ city ranking

#CitiesAQI⁺ US
1
The national flag of Canada

Terrace, British Columbia

52

2
The national flag of Canada

Saguenay, Quebec

51

3
The national flag of Canada

Sechelt, British Columbia

51

4
The national flag of Canada

Burnaby, British Columbia

48

5
The national flag of Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia

42

6
The national flag of Canada

Chilliwack, British Columbia

38

7
The national flag of Canada

Fort St John, British Columbia

38

8
The national flag of Canada

Hazelton, British Columbia

38

9
The national flag of Canada

Grande Prairie, Alberta

35

10
The national flag of Canada

Port Coquitlam, British Columbia

35

History

Historic air quality graph for Calgary

17 AQI⁺ US
Good
10:00 Oct 29 Local time
AQI⁺ US

History

Historic air quality graph for Calgary

17 AQI⁺ US
Good
10:00 Oct 29 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

Nolan Hill

31

2
The national flag of Canada

CALGARY SOUTHEAST

28

3
The national flag of Canada

Springbank

28

4
The national flag of Canada

5705 23 Ave SE

27

5
The national flag of Canada

26-54 Macewan Park View NW

26

6
The national flag of Canada

Ranchridge Court Calgary

23

7
The national flag of Canada

469-555 85 St SW

22

8
The national flag of Canada

72 Ave NE

22

9
The national flag of Canada

Silverview DR Silver Springs

22

10
The national flag of Canada

3815 16 St SW

21

City ranking

Real-time Canada AQI⁺ city ranking

#CitiesAQI⁺ US
1
The national flag of Canada

Terrace, British Columbia

52

2
The national flag of Canada

Saguenay, Quebec

51

3
The national flag of Canada

Sechelt, British Columbia

51

4
The national flag of Canada

Burnaby, British Columbia

48

5
The national flag of Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia

42

6
The national flag of Canada

Chilliwack, British Columbia

38

7
The national flag of Canada

Fort St John, British Columbia

38

8
The national flag of Canada

Hazelton, British Columbia

38

9
The national flag of Canada

Grande Prairie, Alberta

35

10
The national flag of Canada

Port Coquitlam, British Columbia

35

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