Durham County, North Carolina Air Quality
The nearest monitor to Durham County, at Durham Armory, 2 miles away, measured an index of 35 at Sun, 12:00 PM EDT, which is Good for ground-level ozone. North Carolina DEQ - Division of Air Quality forecasts Moderate for Durham County today and Moderate tomorrow. NOAA’s analysts drew medium wildfire smoke over the town today.
- Measured now
- 35 · Good
- Today
- 54 · Moderate
- Tomorrow
- 51 · Moderate
- Pollutant
- Ozone
Fine particles on the map
Forecast fine particulate matter from NOAA’s National Air Quality Forecast Capability over Durham County, North Carolina. 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 Durham County right now. All North Carolina warnings.
Now
Good
- Nearest monitor
- Durham Armory, 2 miles away (site 370630015)
- Index measured
- 35 · Good
- Measured at
- Sun, 12:00 PM EDT
- Fine particles
- 3.7 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 46 ppb
- Reporting area
- Durham County, NC, under a mile away
- Reported by
- North Carolina DEQ - Division of Air Quality
- Area index
- 35 · Good
Measured, not modeled. AirNow observations are preliminary until the operating agency certifies them, which happens months later.
Today and tomorrow
North Carolina DEQ - Division of Air Quality's own forecast for Durham County, written by a forecaster rather than read off a model.
| Day | Category | Index | Pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Moderate | 54 | PM2.5 |
| Tomorrow | Moderate | 51 | PM2.5 |
| Tuesday, September 22 | Good | 45 | PM2.5 |
Hour by hour
NOAA’s air quality model could not be read for this point just now. It runs twice a day and covers the lower 48, Alaska and Hawaii.
Smoke
NOAA’s Hazard Mapping System analysts drew medium smoke over Durham County in satellite imagery today (Sun, 8:00 AM EDT to Sun, 11:00 AM EDT). That is smoke seen from above; it is not always smoke at ground level.
NOAA’s model forecasts near-surface smoke peaking at 1 µg/m³ around Sun, 3:00 AM EDT.
What this means
Good
Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
- Who is affected
- Nobody is expected to be affected.
- What to do
- It is a good day to be outside.
- Index range
- 0 to 50
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 Durham CountyWarnings in Durham CountyLive radar over Durham CountyNorth Carolina 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.