Riverside Air Quality in Summer
Across 2019–2025, Riverside's summer (June–August) air quality had a median AQI of 154 (Unhealthy) over 644 monitored days in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA area. 87.3% of summer days (562 of 644) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 95.2% of days. The cleanest summer on record here was 2023 (median AQI 147, 67 days above 100) and the worst was 2021 (median 160, 85 days above 100, peak AQI 216).
- Good: 0.2%
- Moderate: 12.6%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 32.8%
- Unhealthy or worse: 54.5%
Extra Protection for Riverside Homes
Air quality in Riverside is moderate (AQI 58), with fine particles (PM2.5) the main concern. A True-HEPA purifier gives sensitive groups — kids, seniors and anyone with asthma or allergies — cleaner air indoors on days like today.
Recommended: Coway AP-1512HH Mighty — True HEPA + carbon · CADR ~246 CFM · rooms up to 361 sq ft
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How is the air in Riverside in summer?
Unhealthy on a typical day: median AQI 154 across 2019–2025, with 87.3% of summer days above AQI 100. Ground-level ozone is the main driver.
- ✓0.2% of summer days were Good (AQI 0–50), 12.6% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓562 days of 644 reached AQI 101+; the summer peak was 584.
- ✓Cleanest month: June; worst month: July.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in Riverside in summer?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Riverside in summer was 154 (Unhealthy). 0.2% of days were Good, 12.6% Moderate, and 87.3% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 644 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.
Is summer a good time for outdoor exercise in Riverside?▾
A typical summer day in Riverside is Unhealthy (median AQI 154): everyone should limit prolonged outdoor exertion, and sensitive groups should avoid it; about 87% of summer days (87.3%) were at AQI 101+.
Which pollutant causes Riverside's summer air quality problems?▾
Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 95.2% of summer days in Riverside. The highest summer AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 584 (Hazardous), in 2021.
Riverside summer air quality, year by year
Riverside summer air quality by year (Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, EPA AQS daily AQI)
| Year | Days monitored | Median AQI | Days above 100 | Peak AQI | Main pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 92 | 155 | 85 | 213 | O3 |
| 2020 | 92 | 154 | 85 | 584 | O3 |
| 2021worst | 92 | 160 | 85 | 216 | O3 |
| 2022 | 92 | 151 | 82 | 218 | O3 |
| 2023cleanest | 92 | 147 | 67 | 517 | O3 |
| 2024 | 92 | 164 | 81 | 227 | O3 |
| 2025 | 92 | 147 | 77 | 207 | O3 |
What summer air means in Riverside
A typical summer day in Riverside is Unhealthy (median AQI 154): everyone should limit prolonged outdoor exertion, and sensitive groups should avoid it; about 87% of summer days (87.3%) were at AQI 101+.
Summer's median AQI of 154 is above Riverside's whole-year median of 89, making it one of the area's dirtier periods. Nationally, the median Summer AQI across every EPA metro area (308,645 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 46, so Riverside runs above the national Summer norm; 87.3% of its Summer days topped AQI 100 versus 3.6% nationally (above average).
Within the season, June is the cleanest month (median AQI 142, 77.7% of days above 100) and July the worst (median 161, 94.1% above 100).
Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.
Right now in Riverside
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Riverside's AQI at 58 (PM2.5). The figures above are multi-year season statistics, not today's reading.
View current Riverside air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, 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.