Air Monitoring Data & AQI

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Ozone and PM2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI) Forecast

Issued: Thursday, March 20, 2025, 2:30 PM

Thursday, northwesterly winds will disperse pollutants and transport clean air across the Bayou State throughout the day as a surface ridge of high pressure approaches from the west. In addition, cool temperatures will hinder ozone formation, leading to Good AQI levels statewide. Friday, calm to light winds and a temperature inversion will limit low-level mixing early in the day as the surface ridge departs the Bayou State. However, winds during the afternoon and evening will strengthen and shift to southerly to south-southwesterly, aiding dispersion. Thus, AQI levels statewide will be Good to high-Good. Saturday, calm to light southerly to south-southeasterly winds will inhibit dispersion, while a morning temperature inversion traps pollutants near the ground. Additionally, mostly sunny skies and temperatures around 75-80F will enhance ozone production in the afternoon. Therefore, AQI levels will be high-Good to low-Moderate.

Baton Rouge

 Thursday Friday Saturday
Ozone 44 - Good 46 - Good 61 - Moderate
PM25 39 - Good 44 - Good 55 - Moderate

Alexandria

 Thursday Friday Saturday
Ozone 40 - Good 43 - Good 50 - Good
PM25 28 - Good 33 - Good 50 - Good

Lake Charles

 Thursday Friday Saturday
Ozone 42 - Good 44 - Good 51 - Moderate
PM25 22 - Good 28 - Good 53 - Moderate

Lafayette

 Thursday Friday Saturday
Ozone 41 - Good 44 - Good 51 - Moderate
PM25 22 - Good 28 - Good 53 - Moderate

Monroe

 Thursday Friday Saturday
Ozone 37 - Good 40 - Good 47 - Good
PM25 17 - Good 22 - Good 44 - Good

New Orleans

 Thursday Friday Saturday
Ozone 42 - Good 44 - Good 54 - Moderate
PM25 28 - Good 39 - Good 53 - Moderate

Shreveport

 Thursday Friday Saturday
Ozone 38 - Good 41 - Good 48 - Good
PM25 17 - Good 22 - Good 44 - Good

Thibodaux

 Thursday Friday Saturday
Ozone 39 - Good 42 - Good 49 - Good
PM25 28 - Good 33 - Good 50 - Good

More Information About Understanding AQI Information

The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or unhealthy your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern. The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience within a few hours or days after breathing unhealthy air. The following chart provides information regarding the AQI determinations:

Category AQI Value What This Means
Good 0-50 Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
Moderate 51-100 Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 101-150 Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected.
Unhealthy 151-200 Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
Very Unhealthy 201-300 Health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.
Hazardous 301-500 Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects.

Any questions about interpreting this monitoring data should be directed to the DEQ Customer Services Section at 1-866-896-5337.

TO REPORT ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS, INCLUDING ODORS, CONTACT THE DEQ SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT (SPOC) - 225-219-3640 or Toll Free 1-888-763-5424. In the event of an environmental emergency, citizens are encouraged to first contact their local authorities - police, sheriff, fire department, etc. Otherwise citizens and the regulated community can contact the SPOC line to report environmental concerns during business hours, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday at the number listed above. To report a concern outside of business hours call 225-342-1234 or the toll free number. Concerns include spills, releases, odors, fish kills, open burning, waste tires and any other types of environmental incidents. Citizens can report the incident online.

The data has not been quality reviewed or validated. Continuous PM2.5 readings shown are not NAAQS comparable.