Air quality in Mexicali

Air quality index (AQI) and PM2.5 air pollution in Mexicali

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Weather

What is the current weather in Mexicali?

Weather icon
WeatherBroken clouds
Temperature84.2°F
Humidity20%
Wind5.7 mp/h
Pressure29.8 Hg

live aqi city ranking

Real-time Mexico city ranking

#cityUS AQI
1 Mexico City, Mexico City

129

2 Guadalajara, Jalisco

95

3 Celaya, Guanajuato

59

4 San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon

58

5 General Escobedo, Nuevo Leon

57

6 Leon, Guanajuato

55

7 Salamanca, Guanajuato

53

8 Irapuato, Guanajuato

50

9 Mexicali, Baja California

28

10 Cadereyta Jimenez, Nuevo Leon

26

(local time)

SEE WORLD AQI RANKING

live Mexicali aqi ranking

Real-time Mexicali air quality ranking

#stationUS AQI
1 Calzada de la Plata

38

2 Rio Armeria

36

3 Avenida Izapa

35

4 Del Eneldo 1184

35

5 Cascada Encantada

34

6 Terra Mitica

34

7 Aire Baja California - Del Casco

28

8 Ayuntamiento De Mexicali - Estacion Papago

28

9 Boulevard Rio Nuevo

28

10

27

(local time)

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US AQI

28

live AQI index
Good

Human face indicating AQI level

Overview

What is the current air quality in Mexicali?

Air pollution levelAir quality indexMain pollutant
Good 28 US AQItrendPM2.5
PollutantsConcentration
PM2.5
6.8µg/m³trend
!

PM2.5

x1.4

PM2.5 concentration in Mexicali is currently 1.4 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value

Health Recommendations

What is the current air quality in Mexicali?

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Forecast

Mexicali air quality index (AQI) forecast

DayPollution levelWeatherTemperatureWind
Monday, Mar 25

Good 27 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
77° 53.6°
Wind rotating 300 degree 13.4 mp/h
Tuesday, Mar 26

Good 41 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
84.2° 53.6°
Wind rotating 148 degree 13.4 mp/h
Wednesday, Mar 27

Good 42 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
84.2° 57.2°
Wind rotating 270 degree 13.4 mp/h
Today

Good 28 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
78.8° 57.2°
Wind rotating 275 degree 20.1 mp/h
Friday, Mar 29

Good 15 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
69.8° 53.6°
Wind rotating 204 degree 17.9 mp/h
Saturday, Mar 30

Good 7 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon 30%
68° 48.2°
Wind rotating 243 degree 11.2 mp/h
Sunday, Mar 31

Good 5 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
73.4° 51.8°
Wind rotating 268 degree 8.9 mp/h
Monday, Apr 1

Good 5 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
80.6° 55.4°
Wind rotating 347 degree 13.4 mp/h
Tuesday, Apr 2

Good 5 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
86° 60.8°
Wind rotating 9 degree 4.5 mp/h
Wednesday, Apr 3

Good 4 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
87.8° 62.6°
Wind rotating 277 degree 15.7 mp/h

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How to best protect from air pollution?

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AIR QUALITY ANALYSIS AND STATISTICS FOR Mexicali

What is the current level of air pollution in Mexicali?

Mexicali is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California and seat of the Municipality of Mexicali. According to a census conducted in 2010, Mexicali had an estimated population of approximately 700,000 residents. Take into account the entire metropolitan area and the number swells to 937,000 people. This ranks it as the second most populous area in Baja, California.

Towards the end of 2021, Mexicali was going through a period of air quality that was classed as being “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” with a US AQI reading of 157. This United States Air Quality Index number is calculated using the levels of six of the most prolific air pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and both sizes of particulate matter, which are PM2.5 and PM10. It can then be used as the metric when comparing air quality in other cities around the world. If data is unavailable for all 6 pollutants, a figure can still be calculated by using what figures there are. In Mexicali, only PM2.5 was measured which was 67.7 µg/m³.

When air quality is this bad, the advice is to remain indoors as much as possible, closing all doors and windows to prevent more polluted air from entering. It is advantageous to use an air purifier if one is available but ensure it is set to recirculate the current air and not import more from outside. Those of a sensitive disposition should also avoid venturing outside until the air quality improves. If this is unavoidable, then a good quality face mask should be used at all times. There is an app available from AirVisual.com for most mobile devices which informs the user of the quality of air in real-time which should assist with the decision as to whether go out or not. It is free of charge.

Does the level of air pollution fluctuate throughout the year in Mexicali?

Air quality is very volatile as it can be influenced by many external factors such as meteorological and atmospheric.

Looking closely at the figures released by IQAir.com for 2020, it can easily be seen that for three months of the year, Mexicali achieved the target figure as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of 10 µg/m³ or less. These were the months of May, July and August with respective figures of 8.6, 9.4 and 10 µg/m³. The months of March, April and June saw figures from the “Good” category with readings between 10.1 and 12 µg/m³. The four months of February, September, October and November saw air quality from the “Moderate” sector with readings between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. the remaining two months of January and December saw poor air quality from the “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” category with readings between 35.5 and 55.4 µg/m³.

Records were first kept in 2017when a figure of 22.7 µg/m³ was noted. A sharp deterioration was recorded in 2018 when the figure was 30.2 µg/m³. The next year showed a considerable improvement with a figure of 17.7 µg/m³ but then declined again in 2020 to 19.7 µg/m³. However, this reading may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as many vehicles were no longer in daily use because the offices were closed, in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus. Many factories and non-essential production units were also required to close which removed their emissions from the atmosphere, albeit on a temporary basis.

Is there a main source of air pollution in Mexicali?

Mexicali is the most polluted city in the country and North America. According to data from the 2018 World Air Quality Report, Mexico City ranks 10th in the country in terms of cities with poor air quality due to the presence of polluting particles, registering 19.7 micrograms of particles in 2018 fines per cubic metre. Pollution levels in the municipality of Baja California exceed twice those recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), according to data from the World Air Quality Report 2018, carried out by the firm IQAir.

The main sources of contamination are vehicles, agricultural burning, unpaved streets, clandestine tyre burning as well as industry and commerce.

What can be done to improve air quality in Mexicali?

The State Environment will intensify the reviews of industries in order to detect irregularities and initiate legal actions against those that do not comply with environmental regulations. So far this year there have been more than 100 inspections and 10 closures by the state to industries for various faults in environmental matters, it is hoped that the figure will increase next year by intensifying the work.

Experts believe that for a city of its size, Mexicali needs many more air quality monitors. The Baja California Secretariat for Environmental Protection lacks mobile atmospheric analysis equipment to measure emissions from factories. The state government has only four air monitoring stations operating in all of Mexicali.

Not all pollution in the border region comes from factories. Other strategies to reduce air pollution would also help, such as paving more dirt roads, reforming the ineffective smog control system and improving police surveillance to stop the illegal burning of garbage and agricultural fields.

What are the health impacts of breathing dirty air in Mexicali?

As the world warms and the population increases, vehicle engines continue to emit dirty emissions, and half the world does not have access to clean fuels or technologies (for example, stoves and lamps). The very air we breathe is becoming dangerously polluted: Nine out of ten people are now breathing polluted air, which kills an estimated 7 million people each year. The health effects of air pollution are serious: a third of deaths from strokes, lung cancer and heart disease are due to air pollution. It is an effect equivalent to that of smoking tobacco and is much more serious than, for example, the effects of ingesting too much salt. The lower the levels of air pollution, the better the cardiovascular and respiratory health of the population, both in the long and short term.

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