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

Issued: Monday, March 16, 2026, 2:32 PM

Monday, moderate to strong northwesterly winds behind a departing cold front will effectively disperse pollutants and transport cool air into Louisiana. However, these winds may also transport thin-density smoke into the state. Therefore, AQI levels will be Good to high-Good. Tuesday, as surface high pressure moves across Louisiana, weakening winds will reduce pollutant dispersion. Furthermore, an evening temperature inversion will confine pollutants to the lower levels of the atmosphere. However, low pollutant carryover in the wake of the departing cold front will lead to high-Good AQI levels in most cities. Wednesday, mostly sunny skies and warmer temperatures will enhance ozone formation. Furthermore, as surface high pressure gradually departs to the east, calm to light southerly winds will limit pollutant dispersion over southeastern Louisiana. Farther west, light to moderate southwesterly winds will effectively disperse pollutants. These conditions will lead to low-Moderate AQI levels in Baton Rouge and Good to high-Good AQI levels throughout the rest of the state.

Baton Rouge

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 42 - Good 44 - Good 48 - Good
PM25 44 - Good 50 - Good 55 - Moderate

Alexandria

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 37 - Good 40 - Good 39 - Good
PM25 28 - Good 44 - Good 33 - Good

Lake Charles

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 40 - Good 43 - Good 44 - Good
PM25 22 - Good 44 - Good 44 - Good

Lafayette

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 43 - Good 42 - Good 46 - Good
PM25 28 - Good 44 - Good 44 - Good

Monroe

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 40 - Good 42 - Good 44 - Good
PM25 22 - Good 39 - Good 28 - Good

New Orleans

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 40 - Good 42 - Good 47 - Good
PM25 28 - Good 44 - Good 50 - Good

Shreveport

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 41 - Good 44 - Good 44 - Good
PM25 28 - Good 44 - Good 39 - Good

Thibodaux

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 34 - Good 39 - Good 44 - Good
PM25 33 - Good 44 - 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.