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

Issued: Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 2:32 PM

Wednesday, surface high pressure east of the state will generate periods of light southerly to southwesterly winds. These winds will limit dispersion and carry smoke from localized agricultural fires into some cities. Furthermore, partly sunny skies will aid ozone formation. Therefore, AQI levels will be high-Good to low-Moderate in most locations. Thursday and Friday, as the surface high settles over the northern Gulf, light southwesterly winds throughout much of the period will continue to limit dispersion. In addition, ample sunshine and warmer temperatures each day will increase ozone production, and smoke from localized agricultural fires may contribute to particle concentrations. These conditions will yield low-Moderate AQI levels in most cities on both days.

Baton Rouge

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 44 - Good 54 - Moderate 58 - Moderate
PM25 56 - Moderate 60 - Moderate 58 - Moderate

Alexandria

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 41 - Good 49 - Good 50 - Good
PM25 50 - Good 55 - Moderate 53 - Moderate

Lake Charles

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 46 - Good 61 - Moderate 64 - Moderate
PM25 58 - Moderate 62 - Moderate 60 - Moderate

Lafayette

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 44 - Good 51 - Moderate 54 - Moderate
PM25 44 - Good 53 - Moderate 50 - Good

Monroe

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 41 - Good 49 - Good 50 - Good
PM25 39 - Good 50 - Good 44 - Good

New Orleans

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 44 - Good 54 - Moderate 58 - Moderate
PM25 50 - Good 55 - Moderate 53 - Moderate

Shreveport

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 44 - Good 54 - Moderate 58 - Moderate
PM25 55 - Moderate 58 - Moderate 56 - Moderate

Thibodaux

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 43 - Good 51 - Moderate 54 - Moderate
PM25 50 - Good 55 - Moderate 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.