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

Issued: Sunday, April 26, 2026, 2:35 PM

Sunday, partly cloudy skies will limit ozone production. However, light to moderate southerly winds will carry thin-density smoke from the Gulf into the western portion of the state, yielding high-Good to low-Moderate AQI levels in Lake Charles and Shreveport. For the rest of the state, AQI levels will be Good to high-Good. Monday and Tuesday, southerly winds will strengthen as a cold front gradually approaches from the northwest. While these winds will aid dispersion, they will also carry additional thin-density smoke into western Louisiana. Therefore, AQI levels will be low-Moderate in Lake Charles and Shreveport, with Good to high-Good AQI levels elsewhere on both days.

Baton Rouge

 Sunday Monday Tuesday
Ozone 48 - Good 46 - Good 47 - Good
PM25 44 - Good 44 - Good 50 - Good

Alexandria

 Sunday Monday Tuesday
Ozone 38 - Good 40 - Good 41 - Good
PM25 39 - Good 44 - Good 50 - Good

Lake Charles

 Sunday Monday Tuesday
Ozone 36 - Good 39 - Good 40 - Good
PM25 50 - Good 53 - Moderate 55 - Moderate

Lafayette

 Sunday Monday Tuesday
Ozone 39 - Good 41 - Good 42 - Good
PM25 39 - Good 44 - Good 50 - Good

Monroe

 Sunday Monday Tuesday
Ozone 38 - Good 36 - Good 37 - Good
PM25 39 - Good 39 - Good 44 - Good

New Orleans

 Sunday Monday Tuesday
Ozone 49 - Good 47 - Good 48 - Good
PM25 39 - Good 39 - Good 44 - Good

Shreveport

 Sunday Monday Tuesday
Ozone 34 - Good 37 - Good 38 - Good
PM25 53 - Moderate 55 - Moderate 56 - Moderate

Thibodaux

 Sunday Monday Tuesday
Ozone 40 - Good 38 - Good 39 - Good
PM25 33 - Good 39 - Good 44 - 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.