Air Monitoring Data & AQI

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

Issued: Monday, January 19, 2026, 2:30 PM

Monday, a strong morning inversion will trap pollutants near the ground, while calm to light northeasterly winds will reduce dispersion. Additionally, lingering smoke from a number of agricultural fires will increase particle concentrations in some areas. Therefore, AQI levels will be high-Good to low-Moderate. Tuesday, a morning inversion will redevelop, confining pollutants at the surface. Furthermore, a broad area of surface high pressure to the northeast will produce light easterly to southeasterly winds, hindering dispersion. As a result, AQI levels will remain high-Good to low-Moderate. Wednesday, as a cold front advances into northern Louisiana and stalls, atmospheric mixing will increase. In addition, strengthening southeasterly winds will enhance dispersion over the southern and central portions of the state. These conditions will lead to Good to high-Good AQI levels.

Baton Rouge

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 44 - Good 45 - Good 39 - Good
PM25 62 - Moderate 56 - Moderate 50 - Good

Alexandria

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 39 - Good 41 - Good 34 - Good
PM25 44 - Good 50 - Good 44 - Good

Lake Charles

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 45 - Good 46 - Good 33 - Good
PM25 60 - Moderate 55 - Moderate 50 - Good

Lafayette

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 43 - Good 44 - Good 35 - Good
PM25 39 - Good 50 - Good 39 - Good

Monroe

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 37 - Good 39 - Good 32 - Good
PM25 44 - Good 50 - Good 39 - Good

New Orleans

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 44 - Good 44 - Good 34 - Good
PM25 55 - Moderate 53 - Moderate 50 - Good

Shreveport

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 36 - Good 37 - Good 31 - Good
PM25 50 - Good 53 - Moderate 50 - Good

Thibodaux

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 38 - Good 41 - Good 33 - Good
PM25 50 - Good 50 - Good 39 - 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.