Air quality in Prague

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

Last update at (local time)

102.9K people follow this city

  • The profile image of follower
  • The profile image of follower
  • The profile image of follower
  • The profile image of follower
  • The profile image of follower
IQAir map with AQI colorful pins

AIR QUALITY DATA CONTRIBUTORS

16 Stations operated by

4 Contributors

https://cdn.airvisual.net/assets/public-profiles/5cb9494be613ee17724ccf7a-avatar.bmphttps://cdn.airvisual.net/assets/public-profiles/5d1c7835f655d91a73a56e9e-avatar.jpeghttps://ui-avatars.com/api/?rounded=true&name=gb007https://cdn.airvisual.net/tiny/default.png

Join the movement!

Get a monitor and contributor to air quality data in your city.

BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR
Find out more about contributors and data sources

Weather

What is the current weather in Prague?

Weather icon
WeatherClear sky
Temperature32°F
Humidity82%
Wind2.3 mp/h
Pressure30.2 Hg

live aqi city ranking

Real-time Czech Republic city ranking

#cityUS AQI
1 Usti nad Labem, Ustecky

68

2 Ostrava, Moravskoslezsky

65

3 Brno, South Moravian

60

4 Pilsen, Plzensky

59

5 Prague, Praha

59

(local time)

SEE WORLD AQI RANKING

live Prague aqi ranking

Real-time Prague air quality ranking

#stationUS AQI
1 Praha 10-Prumyslova

82

2 Praha 7-Holesovice

76

3 Praha 9-Vysocany

76

4 Praha 2-Legerova

71

5 Praha 10-Vrsovice

63

6 Praha 6-Suchdol

63

7 Letiste Praha

60

8 Praha 2-Riegrovy sady

59

9 Praha 8-Karlin

59

10 Praha 4-Libus

56

(local time)

SEE WORLD AQI RANKING

#1 Air Quality App

Free iOS and Android air quality app

AirVisual App, Free iOS and Android air quality app

US AQI

59

live AQI index
Moderate

Human face indicating AQI level

Overview

What is the current air quality in Prague?

Air pollution levelAir quality indexMain pollutant
Moderate 59 US AQIPM2.5
PollutantsConcentration
PM2.5
16µg/m³
PM10
28.4µg/m³
O3
27.4µg/m³
NO2
35.8µg/m³
SO2
2.5µg/m³
CO
319.5µg/m³
!

PM2.5

x3.2

PM2.5 concentration in Prague is currently 3.2 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value

Health Recommendations

What is the current air quality in Prague?

A man cycling icon
Sensitive groups should reduce outdoor exercise
An open window icon
Close your windows to avoid dirty outdoor air
GET A MONITOR
An IQAir mask icon
Sensitive groups should wear a mask outdoors
GET A MASK
An IQAir purifier icon
Sensitive groups should run an air purifier
GET AN AIR PURIFIER

Forecast

Prague air quality index (AQI) forecast

DayPollution levelWeatherTemperatureWind
Saturday, Mar 16

Good 24 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
55.4° 41°
Wind rotating 254 degree 13.4 mp/h
Sunday, Mar 17

Good 29 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
50° 37.4°
Wind rotating 309 degree 6.7 mp/h
Monday, Mar 18

Moderate 57 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
48.2° 33.8°
Wind rotating 26 degree 4.5 mp/h
Today

Moderate 59 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
50° 32°
Wind rotating 102 degree 4.5 mp/h
Wednesday, Mar 20

Moderate 62 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
57.2° 37.4°
Wind rotating 92 degree 2.2 mp/h
Thursday, Mar 21

Moderate 62 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
57.2° 46.4°
Wind rotating 325 degree 8.9 mp/h
Friday, Mar 22

Moderate 54 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon 30%
57.2° 48.2°
Wind rotating 295 degree 4.5 mp/h
Saturday, Mar 23

Moderate 54 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon 100%
55.4° 42.8°
Wind rotating 257 degree 11.2 mp/h
Sunday, Mar 24

Good 35 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon 100%
48.2° 41°
Wind rotating 285 degree 4.5 mp/h
Monday, Mar 25

Good 45 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon 100%
41° 35.6°
Wind rotating 339 degree 11.2 mp/h

Interested in hourly forecast? Get the app

How to best protect from air pollution?

Reduce your air pollution exposure in Prague

AIR QUALITY ANALYSIS AND STATISTICS FOR Prague

What is the air quality index of Prague?

Prague is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic which is situated on the Vitava River. In 2020 it had an estimated population of over 2.5 million people in the metropolitan area.

In 2019, according to the reputable Awiss air monitoring company, IQAir.com Prague attained a “Good “level based on figures suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) with a reading of 11.5 µg/m³. From May through to October it achieved the target figure of 10 µg/m³ or less. March and October brought a “Good” level of between 10 and 12 µg/m³ whilst the remaining 5 months classified it as “Moderate” with figures between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. Overall showing an improvement on previous years of 15.6 µg/m³ in 2017 and 17.4 µg/m³ in 2018, which are “Moderate” readings.

What are the main sources of air pollution in Prague?

In Prague, air quality is one of the biggest environmental problems. The air is polluted mainly by airborne dust (solid particles PM10, PM2.5), ground-level ozone (O3), nitrogen oxides (NOx), benzo (a) pyrene (C20H12) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). The city of Prague has seen a large increase in vehicle numbers over the past decade. Exceeding the target permissible concentration in the air occurs in many areas of ​​Prague for the pollutant benzo (a) pyrene, mostly in the winter, when a significant source of emissions is the combustion of fossil fuels in local heating plants. Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC)s into the air are due to surface consumption of solvents and transportation, partly the automotive industry and printers. Volatile organic compounds (VOC)s together with nitrogen oxides (NOx) contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone (O3). There is, however, one part of the city which is considered to have good quality air.

Is the air quality in Prague getting better or worse?

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is the most common pollutant in Prague’s air, specifically at the intersection of Sokolská and Ječná streets in the city centre. Other places in the vicinity of the main road or near the entrance/exit to the Blanka tunnel also showed high readings. In all cases, these are streets through which tens of thousands of cars pass on a daily basis. Among the localities with the highest values ​​of pollution are places in Brno, Pilsen which also did badly. The results were revealed by the Centre for the Environment, which from March to April measured nitrogen dioxide (NO2) values ​​at 200 locations across nine regional cities. According to the study, the values ​​in these places ranged from 50 to 80 µg/m³. Values ​​above 33.5 µg/m³ can detrimentally affect human health.

What are the health effects of Prague’s polluted air?

Being subjected to nitrogen oxides (NOx) may cause respiratory tract irritation, at high concentrations and prolonged exposure may cause asthma. Sulphur dioxide (SO2) can cause coughs and respiratory tract irritation. It exacerbates existing asthma and bronchitis and is severely irritating to eyes and mucous membranes.

Carbon monoxide (CO) reduces the blood's capacity to carry oxygen to the tissues, which in turn strains the heart and can cause headaches, dizziness and nausea. At very high concentrations, it can lead to death. Ground-level ozone (O3) causes eye, nose and throat irritation and damages the lungs and respiratory tract. Benzo (a) pyrene PAH (polyaromatic hydrocarbons) irritates the eyes and skin and has negative effects on the kidneys and the liver and may have carcinogenic and mutagenic effects.

The microscopic particulate matter known as PM2.5 is possibly the worst as, due to their small size, they can easily bypass the body’s defence system and lodge themselves deeply in the lungs. Here, they can pass into the bloodstream and eventually reach the heart. Like so many other pollutants, they are thought to be carcinogenic.

What can be done to improve Prague’s air quality?

The intensity of car traffic is not getting any smaller and many cars emit much more nitrogen oxide (NO) than the emission limits. And they do this right in the middle of the city where pedestrians walk amongst them. There are two solutions to this problem either adapt the engines so they produce fewer emissions and punish any excess emissions, or reduce and replace car traffic in other ways. The most common processes include toll collection, bans on certain types of vehicles entering cities and, possibly the most important, the introduction of low-emission zones.

Several energy sources are used to produce heat centrally. Various fuels and energy from the incineration of non-recyclable waste are used together for the joint production of electricity and heat. Thus, fuel is used more efficiently in central sources, and more importantly, the sources are mutually sustainable.

The main advantage of the joint production of heat and electricity is the maximum usability of thermal energy in fuel, including waste. In this way, energy is produced not only very efficiently, but also ecologically. However, production in this way cannot work without a district heating system. Thermal energy is produced centrally in one source and supplied via long-distance distribution to others, which, in addition to reducing the fuel intensity of energy, will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO2).

The ecologically produced heat is supplied to the Prague heating system by the Malešice Waste Energy Utilization Facility (ZEVO), known among Prague residents as the "Malešice Incinerator". It annually processes 31,000 tons of municipal waste from all over Prague and produces 850 TJ of thermal energy. The heat produced in Malešice is supplied by the Prague Heating System to up to 20,000 households and large industrial areas in the locality.

The Prague heating system is connected to a 34-kilometre long heat feeder from the Mělník Power Plant. Here, heat is produced by the principle of cogeneration, which is the simultaneous and highly efficient production of heat and electricity. The Mělník power plant replaced more than 200 local boilers/heaters, which significantly reduced air pollution in Prague. The power plant has the most modern anti-emission technologies. By modifying the energy source, total emissions will continue to be reduced.

Can the smog in Prague be controlled?

The current level of smog can be found as part of the information provided by the Department of Environmental Protection of the City of Prague working in partnership with the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute.

Cart
Your cart is empty
IQAir Blue Banner

Connect With IQAir

Sign up for our newsletter