Air Monitoring Data & AQI

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

Issued: Monday, January 30, 2023, 2:30 PM

Monday, a stationary front over southeastern Louisiana will produce southwesterly winds to the south and northerly to northeasterly winds to the north and west. The air mass south of the front contains a thin plume of smoke from seasonal agricultural burning in eastern Mexico, while the air mass to the north is much cleaner. Areas along and north and west of the front will also see increased atmospheric mixing from periods of rain. As a result, AQI levels will be Good across much of the Bayou State, while southeastern Louisiana is expected to have high-Good AQI levels. Tuesday and Wednesday, as the front slowly advances southward, northerly to northeasterly winds will gradually disperse pollutants and bring clean into the state, yielding Good AQI levels in most cities on both days. However, lingering smoke will lead to high-Good AQI levels in southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday before AQI levels improve to Good there on Wednesday.

Baton Rouge

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 26 - Good 30 - Good 28 - Good
PM25 50 - Good 50 - Good 38 - Good

Alexandria

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 23 - Good 23 - Good 21 - Good
PM25 29 - Good 25 - Good 21 - Good

Lake Charles

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 25 - Good 27 - Good 25 - Good
PM25 29 - Good 33 - Good 25 - Good

Lafayette

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 24 - Good 29 - Good 27 - Good
PM25 25 - Good 38 - Good 25 - Good

Monroe

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 24 - Good 24 - Good 22 - Good
PM25 21 - Good 21 - Good 17 - Good

New Orleans

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 27 - Good 29 - Good 26 - Good
PM25 46 - Good 50 - Good 38 - Good

Shreveport

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 21 - Good 24 - Good 22 - Good
PM25 25 - Good 25 - Good 21 - Good

Thibodaux

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Ozone 25 - Good 28 - Good 25 - Good
PM25 46 - Good 46 - Good 33 - 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.