Salton City, California Air Quality
The nearest monitor to Salton City, at Saul Martinez, 20 miles away, measured an index of 57 at Tue, 12:00 AM PDT, which is Moderate for coarse particles (PM10). Imperial County Air Pollution Control District forecasts Moderate for Niland today and Moderate tomorrow.
- Measured now
- 57 · Moderate
- Today
- 77 · Moderate
- Tomorrow
- 84 · Moderate
- Pollutant
- PM10
Fine particles on the map
Forecast fine particulate matter from NOAA’s National Air Quality Forecast Capability over Salton City, California. Open it for the live map, where it pans and zooms.























Open the live map with the particulate forecast
Map layer from NOAA National Air Quality Forecast Capability. Boundaries from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.
Alerts in force
An Air Quality Alert is issued by the National Weather Service on behalf of a state or local agency when pollution is expected to reach a level that harms health. An Air Stagnation Advisory means the air will not move enough to clear what is already in it.
None are in force near Salton City right now. All California warnings.
Now
Moderate
- Nearest monitor
- Saul Martinez, 20 miles away (site 060652005)
- Index measured
- 57 · Moderate
- Measured at
- Tue, 12:00 AM PDT
- Reporting area
- Niland, CA, 25 miles away
- Reported by
- Imperial County Air Pollution Control District
- Area index
- 39 · Good
Measured, not modeled. AirNow observations are preliminary until the operating agency certifies them, which happens months later.
Today and tomorrow
Imperial County Air Pollution Control District's own forecast for Niland, written by a forecaster rather than read off a model.
| Day | Category | Index | Pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Moderate | 77 | Ozone |
| Tomorrow | Moderate | 84 | Ozone |
| Thursday, September 24 | Moderate | 67 | Ozone |
| Friday, September 25 | Moderate | 80 | Ozone |
| Saturday, September 26 | Moderate | 87 | Ozone |
The forecaster’s discussion
Written by Imperial County Air Pollution Control District for Niland and filed with AirNow.
Today, light winds through much of the day will lead to pollutant build-up in the Imperial Valley. In addition, sunshine and warm temperatures will support ozone formation. Furthermore, as an upper-level trough of low pressure approaches the region, gusty west-northwesterly winds will develop in the afternoon and evening, generating blowing dust. These conditions will lead to Moderate AQI levels. Tomorrow, a weak upper-level low will remain over the Imperial Valley, aiding atmospheric mixing. However, light and variable surface winds will reduce pollutant dispersion. Additionally, mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the upper-90s will enhance ozone production. As a result, AQI levels will be mid-Moderate.
Hour by hour
NOAA’s National Air Quality Forecast Capability, bias-corrected against monitors, for this town’s own coordinate. The worst hour ahead is an index of 65, Moderate, around Tue, 5:00 AM PDT, from the run issued Mon, 8:00 PM PDT. This is a model, not a measurement.
| Hour | Index | Category | PM2.5 | Ozone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, 7:00 AM PDT | 54 | Moderate | 9.6 | |
| Mon, 8:00 AM PDT | 52 | Moderate | 8.9 | |
| Mon, 9:00 AM PDT | 51 | Moderate | 8.6 | |
| Mon, 10:00 AM PDT | 51 | Moderate | 9.4 | |
| Mon, 11:00 AM PDT | 49 | Good | 8.2 | |
| Mon, 12:00 PM PDT | 42 | Good | 6.3 | |
| Mon, 1:00 PM PDT | 36 | Good | 4 | 39.5 |
| Mon, 2:00 PM PDT | 38 | Good | 2.6 | 41.6 |
| Mon, 3:00 PM PDT | 40 | Good | 2 | 43.8 |
| Mon, 4:00 PM PDT | 43 | Good | 3.2 | 46.3 |
| Mon, 5:00 PM PDT | 44 | Good | 5.1 | 47.7 |
| Mon, 6:00 PM PDT | 44 | Good | 4.3 | 48.2 |
| Mon, 7:00 PM PDT | 44 | Good | 4.7 | 47.2 |
| Mon, 8:00 PM PDT | 42 | Good | 8.2 | 45.8 |
| Mon, 9:00 PM PDT | 47 | Good | 10.6 | 44.6 |
| Mon, 10:00 PM PDT | 55 | Moderate | 13.8 | 43.2 |
| Mon, 11:00 PM PDT | 57 | Moderate | 13.9 | 41.7 |
| Tue, 12:00 AM PDT | 57 | Moderate | 12.2 | 39.9 |
| Tue, 1:00 AM PDT | 58 | Moderate | 12.9 | 38 |
| Tue, 2:00 AM PDT | 61 | Moderate | 16.3 | 36.3 |
| Tue, 3:00 AM PDT | 62 | Moderate | 15.3 | 35.2 |
| Tue, 4:00 AM PDT | 63 | Moderate | 16.3 | 33.7 |
| Tue, 5:00 AM PDT | 65 | Moderate | 17.4 | 32 |
| Tue, 6:00 AM PDT | 58 | Moderate | 8.9 | 30.3 |
| Tue, 7:00 AM PDT | 55 | Moderate | 10.1 | 28.8 |
| Tue, 8:00 AM PDT | 53 | Moderate | 9 | 27.6 |
| Tue, 9:00 AM PDT | 44 | Good | 5.7 | 27.4 |
| Tue, 10:00 AM PDT | 40 | Good | 6.6 | 28.3 |
| Tue, 11:00 AM PDT | 42 | Good | 8 | 30.3 |
| Tue, 12:00 PM PDT | 44 | Good | 8.5 | 33.7 |
| Tue, 1:00 PM PDT | 44 | Good | 8 | 37.6 |
| Tue, 2:00 PM PDT | 41 | Good | 7 | 41.3 |
| Tue, 3:00 PM PDT | 41 | Good | 3.5 | 44.8 |
| Tue, 4:00 PM PDT | 44 | Good | 4.2 | 47.9 |
| Tue, 5:00 PM PDT | 45 | Good | 5 | 49.9 |
| Tue, 6:00 PM PDT | 46 | Good | 4 | 50.6 |
| Tue, 7:00 PM PDT | 45 | Good | 6.6 | 49.9 |
| Tue, 8:00 PM PDT | 44 | Good | 7 | 47.5 |
| Tue, 9:00 PM PDT | 41 | Good | 7.7 | 44.4 |
| Tue, 10:00 PM PDT | 43 | Good | 8.7 | 41.2 |
| Tue, 11:00 PM PDT | 47 | Good | 9 | 38.1 |
| Wed, 12:00 AM PDT | 47 | Good | 8.4 | 34.9 |
| Wed, 1:00 AM PDT | 46 | Good | 8.2 | 32 |
| Wed, 2:00 AM PDT | 44 | Good | 7.6 | 29.6 |
| Wed, 3:00 AM PDT | 44 | Good | 8.1 | 27.9 |
| Wed, 4:00 AM PDT | 47 | Good | 9 | 26.7 |
| Wed, 5:00 AM PDT | 52 | Moderate | 10.3 | 25.9 |
| Wed, 6:00 AM PDT | 48 | Good | 7.9 | 25.4 |
| Wed, 7:00 AM PDT | 47 | Good | 7.9 | 25 |
| Wed, 8:00 AM PDT | 47 | Good | 8.4 | 24.8 |
| Wed, 9:00 AM PDT | 47 | Good | 8.7 | 24.8 |
| Wed, 10:00 AM PDT | 43 | Good | 6.6 | 25.4 |
| Wed, 11:00 AM PDT | 38 | Good | 5.9 | 26.5 |
| Wed, 12:00 PM PDT | 28 | Good | 3.4 | 28.1 |
| Wed, 1:00 PM PDT | 27 | Good | 2.8 | 29.9 |
| Wed, 2:00 PM PDT | 29 | Good | 2.5 | 31.5 |
| Wed, 3:00 PM PDT | 31 | Good | 1.2 | 33.4 |
| Wed, 4:00 PM PDT | 32 | Good | 3 | 35.5 |
| Wed, 5:00 PM PDT | 34 | Good | 2.7 | 37 |
| Wed, 6:00 PM PDT | 34 | Good | 2.1 | 37.8 |
| Wed, 7:00 PM PDT | 34 | Good | 1.9 | 37.8 |
| Wed, 8:00 PM PDT | 33 | Good | 3.8 | 36.7 |
| Wed, 9:00 PM PDT | 32 | Good | 2.6 | 35 |
| Wed, 10:00 PM PDT | 30 | Good | 2.8 | 33 |
| Wed, 11:00 PM PDT | 29 | Good | 3.6 | 31 |
| Thu, 12:00 AM PDT | 27 | Good | 3.5 | 29.1 |
| Thu, 1:00 AM PDT | 25 | Good | 3 | 27.4 |
| Thu, 2:00 AM PDT | 23 | Good | 3.6 | 25.5 |
| Thu, 3:00 AM PDT | 21 | Good | 4.3 | 23.6 |
| Thu, 4:00 AM PDT | 24 | Good | 4.9 | 22.1 |
| Thu, 5:00 AM PDT | 26 | Good | 5.2 | 20.9 |
Fine particles in micrograms per cubic meter, ozone in parts per billion as an 8-hour average. The index for each hour is EPA’s: the ozone figure is already the 8-hour average the ozone index is defined on, and the particle figure is run through EPA’s NowCast, which is how an hourly PM2.5 concentration becomes an index.
Smoke
NOAA’s analysts have not drawn smoke over Salton City in satellite imagery today.
NOAA’s model forecasts near-surface smoke peaking at 1.8 µg/m³ around Tue, 3:00 AM PDT.
What this means
Moderate
Air quality is acceptable. There may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
- Who is affected
- People who are unusually sensitive to ozone or fine particles.
- What to do
- If you are unusually sensitive, consider making long or intense outdoor activity shorter or easier.
- Index range
- 51 to 100
Category descriptions are the Environmental Protection Agency’s own.
What these numbers are. An index beside a monitor’s name is a measurement, published hourly by AirNow and preliminary until the operating agency certifies it. A category for today or tomorrow is a state or local agency forecaster’s own forecast for a reporting area. An hourly index is NOAA’s air quality model on a five-kilometer grid, not a reading from any instrument. Where a town has no monitor within reach, only the model figures appear, and the page says so.
Nearby
The nearest towns with a page of their own, closest first.
Weather forecast for Salton CityWarnings in Imperial CountyLive radar over Salton CityCalifornia air quality
Sources
Observations and daily forecasts from AirNow, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s program with NOAA, the National Park Service, NASA, tribal, state and local agencies. Hourly forecasts from NOAA’s National Air Quality Forecast Capability. Smoke analysis from NOAA’s Hazard Mapping System. Alerts from the National Weather Service. Index categories and breakpoints are EPA’s, as revised in 2024.