City Guide

New York City AQI planning guide

For New Yorkers, AQI becomes useful when it answers a practical question: is this just city background pollution, or enough to change today's outdoor time?

Start with AQI 88Read the AQI detail page

Planning AQI

88

Berkeley Earth 24-hour comparison

1.32

cigarette-equivalents per day

Category

Moderate

Live AQI and forecast

The live API was unavailable, rate-limited, or returned no usable data. The planning baseline is shown separately and is not a current reading.

Static fallback

Fallback planning baseline

88

Planning baseline: about 1.32 cigarettes per 24h

Peak concern season

Jun-Sep

Heat, traffic, and occasional Canadian smoke drive the biggest AQI spikes.

Repeat-use trigger

Street-level commute

Platform waits and avenue walking can add up faster than the city average suggests.

Indoor priority

Apartment ventilation

Open-window apartments need a faster switch to filtered indoor air on smoky days.

Upcoming forecast

Summer ozone and occasional regional smoke are the main reasons a routine day turns cautionary.

Source note: Citywide readings are a good baseline, but street canyons, bridges, and outdoor platforms can feel worse than the headline number.

What to do now in New York City

This decision block uses the latest live value when available, otherwise the city planning baseline.

Updated Oct 8, 10:01 PM UTC

Using fallback planning baseline

AQI 88

Moderate

About 1.32 cigarettes per 24h at this reading.

Sensitive groups may notice irritation with longer outdoor exposure or exercise.

Shift hard workouts to cleaner hours or indoor spaces.
Limit unnecessary exposure for children and sensitive groups.
Keep a mask and indoor-air plan ready if readings continue rising.

Common planning patterns

Street canyons and traffic-heavy routes can feel worse than the regional reading.
Commuting often adds repeated outdoor platform or walking exposure.
Smoke events make overnight indoor air management much more important.

City planning checklist

  • Compare the morning and evening commute before committing to a long outdoor route.
  • Move intense workouts indoors when AQI trends upward.
  • Keep bedroom air cleaner on smoky days rather than focusing only on daytime exposure.

Useful next pages for this city

These linked pages answer the kinds of follow-up questions people usually have after checking the reading.

Browse more city guides

Commute exposure planner

Use AQI to decide whether a daily commute is routine, cautionary, or worth changing.

Outdoor exercise risk guide

Translate AQI into a clear decision for running, cycling, or training outside.

Kids and school exposure guide

Plan school runs, recess, and after-school time when children are more sensitive than adults.