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

Issued: Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 2:32 PM

Wednesday, light southerly to southeasterly winds will inhibit dispersion and gradually transport thin smoke into the Bayou State. Furthermore, mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low- to mid-80s will enhance ozone production. These conditions will yield high-Good to low-Moderate AQI levels. Thursday, calm morning winds will allow smoke and other pollutants to linger over Louisiana. Furthermore, a strengthening ridge of high pressure aloft will hinder atmospheric mixing. However, increasing southerly winds will aid dispersion in the afternoon as a low pressure system deepens over the southern Plains. As a result, AQI levels will continue to be high-Good to low-Moderate. Friday, an area of surface high pressure will produce light and variable winds throughout the Bayou State for much of the day, reducing pollutant dispersion. Additionally, mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures will enhance ozone formation over central and southern portions of the state. These conditions will lead to low-Moderate AQI levels over central and southern Louisiana. Father north, as a cold front impacts the northern portion of the state late in the day, increasing northerly winds will disperse pollutants, leading to high-Good AQI levels in Shreveport and Monroe.

Baton Rouge

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 74 - Moderate 58 - Moderate 61 - Moderate
PM25 62 - Moderate 58 - Moderate 60 - Moderate

Alexandria

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 51 - Moderate 49 - Good 50 - Good
PM25 55 - Moderate 53 - Moderate 55 - Moderate

Lake Charles

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 37 - Good 36 - Good 44 - Good
PM25 50 - Good 50 - Good 53 - Moderate

Lafayette

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 50 - Good 46 - Good 50 - Good
PM25 50 - Good 53 - Moderate 53 - Moderate

Monroe

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 46 - Good 44 - Good 40 - Good
PM25 60 - Moderate 55 - Moderate 50 - Good

New Orleans

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 67 - Moderate 51 - Moderate 58 - Moderate
PM25 66 - Moderate 56 - Moderate 58 - Moderate

Shreveport

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 42 - Good 42 - Good 40 - Good
PM25 58 - Moderate 55 - Moderate 50 - Good

Thibodaux

 Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ozone 51 - Moderate 50 - Good 54 - Moderate
PM25 64 - Moderate 53 - Moderate 55 - 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.