Irvine Air Quality in Spring

Across 2019–2025, Irvine's spring (March–May) air quality had a median AQI of 61 (Moderate) over 644 monitored days in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area. 12.7% of spring days (82 of 644) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 52.0% of days. The cleanest spring on record here was 2019 (median AQI 58, 5 days above 100) and the worst was 2020 (median 55, 20 days above 100, peak AQI 206).

61
Median AQI
Moderate
12.7%
Days above AQI 100
82 of 644 days
108
90th percentile AQI
worst 1 day in 10
206
Peak AQI
Very Unhealthy
O3
Main pollutant
52.0% of days
18.6%
Good days
120 of 644
  • Good: 18.6%
  • Moderate: 68.6%
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 10.2%
  • Unhealthy or worse: 2.5%

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QUICK ANSWER

How is the air in Irvine in spring?

Moderate on a typical day: median AQI 61 across 2019–2025, with 12.7% of spring days above AQI 100. Ground-level ozone is the main driver.

  • 18.6% of spring days were Good (AQI 0–50), 68.6% Moderate (51–100).
  • 82 days of 644 reached AQI 101+; the spring peak was 206.
  • Cleanest month: March; worst month: May.

Frequently asked questions

What is the air quality like in Irvine in spring?

Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Irvine in spring was 61 (Moderate). 18.6% of days were Good, 68.6% Moderate, and 12.7% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 644 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.

Is spring a good time for outdoor exercise in Irvine?

A typical spring day in Irvine is Moderate (median AQI 61): outdoor exercise is acceptable for most people, but unusually sensitive individuals should watch for symptoms, and about 1 day in 8 of spring days (12.7%) reached AQI 101+ — the level at which EPA advises people with asthma, children and older adults to shorten hard outdoor exertion.

Which pollutant causes Irvine's spring air quality problems?

Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 52.0% of spring days in Irvine. The highest spring AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 206 (Very Unhealthy), in 2020.

Irvine spring air quality, year by year

Irvine spring air quality by year (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, EPA AQS daily AQI)

YearDays monitoredMedian AQIDays above 100Peak AQIMain pollutant
2019cleanest92585115PM2.5
2020worst925520206O3
202192667133PM2.5
2022926713192O3
2023925914156PM2.5
202492607140O3
2025926316159O3

What spring air means in Irvine

A typical spring day in Irvine is Moderate (median AQI 61): outdoor exercise is acceptable for most people, but unusually sensitive individuals should watch for symptoms, and about 1 day in 8 of spring days (12.7%) reached AQI 101+ — the level at which EPA advises people with asthma, children and older adults to shorten hard outdoor exertion.

Spring's median AQI of 61 is below Irvine's whole-year median of 74, making it one of the area's cleaner periods. Nationally, the median Spring AQI across every EPA metro area (307,196 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 43, so Irvine runs above the national Spring norm; 12.7% of its Spring days topped AQI 100 versus 0.8% nationally (above average).

Within the season, March is the cleanest month (median AQI 55, 0.5% of days above 100) and May the worst (median 74, 22.2% above 100).

Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.

Right now in Irvine

The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Irvine's AQI at 48 (PM2.5). The figures above are multi-year season statistics, not today's reading.

View current Irvine air quality →

Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA), 2019–2025. Daily AQI per CBSA is the highest AQI reported by any monitor in the area that day; the defining parameter is the pollutant that set it. Month and season statistics pool every such day in the period across all years listed. Retrieved 2026-09-09.