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

Issued: Friday, August 21, 2026, 2:37 PM

Friday, scattered showers and thunderstorms will aid atmospheric mixing and dispersion from central into southern Louisiana during the late afternoon and evening. However, light westerly winds will hinder dispersion, allowing thin smoke and dust to linger over Louisiana for much of the day. As a result, AQI levels will be low-Moderate. Saturday and Sunday, decreasing dust will allow ozone development to increase, especially across southeastern Louisiana. Furthermore, light and variable winds will limit dispersion, while an upper-level ridge of high pressure hinders mixing. These conditions will lead to high-Good to low-Moderate AQI levels in most locations, with mid-Moderate AQI levels due to ozone in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Baton Rouge

 Friday Saturday Sunday
Ozone 43 - Good 71 - Moderate 80 - Moderate
PM25 56 - Moderate 53 - Moderate 56 - Moderate

Alexandria

 Friday Saturday Sunday
Ozone 38 - Good 42 - Good 41 - Good
PM25 55 - Moderate 44 - Good 50 - Good

Lake Charles

 Friday Saturday Sunday
Ozone 36 - Good 38 - Good 46 - Good
PM25 58 - Moderate 55 - Moderate 56 - Moderate

Lafayette

 Friday Saturday Sunday
Ozone 44 - Good 46 - Good 47 - Good
PM25 53 - Moderate 50 - Good 53 - Moderate

Monroe

 Friday Saturday Sunday
Ozone 51 - Moderate 43 - Good 54 - Moderate
PM25 58 - Moderate 53 - Moderate 53 - Moderate

New Orleans

 Friday Saturday Sunday
Ozone 42 - Good 67 - Moderate 87 - Moderate
PM25 58 - Moderate 55 - Moderate 58 - Moderate

Shreveport

 Friday Saturday Sunday
Ozone 58 - Moderate 47 - Good 51 - Moderate
PM25 62 - Moderate 55 - Moderate 56 - Moderate

Thibodaux

 Friday Saturday Sunday
Ozone 30 - Good 44 - Good 51 - Moderate
PM25 55 - Moderate 50 - Good 53 - Moderate

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.