Visalia Air Quality in Winter

Across 2019–2025, Visalia's winter (December–February) air quality had a median AQI of 63 (Moderate) over 632 monitored days in the Visalia-Porterville, CA area. 9.7% of winter days (61 of 632) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 85.4% of days. The cleanest winter on record here was 2025 (median AQI 63, 1 day above 100) and the worst was 2021 (median 62, 15 days above 100, peak AQI 157).

63
Median AQI
Moderate
9.7%
Days above AQI 100
61 of 632 days
99
90th percentile AQI
worst 1 day in 10
158
Peak AQI
Unhealthy
PM2.5
Main pollutant
85.4% of days
22.8%
Good days
144 of 632
  • Good: 22.8%
  • Moderate: 67.6%
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 8.4%
  • Unhealthy or worse: 1.3%

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QUICK ANSWER

How is the air in Visalia in winter?

Moderate on a typical day: median AQI 63 across 2019–2025, with 9.7% of winter days above AQI 100. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the main driver.

  • 22.8% of winter days were Good (AQI 0–50), 67.6% Moderate (51–100).
  • 61 days of 632 reached AQI 101+; the winter peak was 158.
  • Cleanest month: February; worst month: December.

Frequently asked questions

What is the air quality like in Visalia in winter?

Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Visalia in winter was 63 (Moderate). 22.8% of days were Good, 67.6% Moderate, and 9.7% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 632 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.

Is winter a good time for outdoor exercise in Visalia?

A typical winter day in Visalia is Moderate (median AQI 63): outdoor exercise is acceptable for most people, but unusually sensitive individuals should watch for symptoms, and about 1 day in 10 of winter days (9.7%) reached AQI 101+ — the level at which EPA advises people with asthma, children and older adults to shorten hard outdoor exertion.

Which pollutant causes Visalia's winter air quality problems?

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 85.4% of winter days in Visalia. The highest winter AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 158 (Unhealthy), in 2021.

Visalia winter air quality, year by year

Visalia winter air quality by year (Visalia-Porterville, CA, EPA AQS daily AQI)

YearDays monitoredMedian AQIDays above 100Peak AQIMain pollutant
201990546138PM2.5
2020917111129PM2.5
2021worst906215157PM2.5
2022907512158PM2.5
202390587119PM2.5
202491609157PM2.5
2025cleanest90631104PM2.5

What winter air means in Visalia

A typical winter day in Visalia is Moderate (median AQI 63): outdoor exercise is acceptable for most people, but unusually sensitive individuals should watch for symptoms, and about 1 day in 10 of winter days (9.7%) reached AQI 101+ — the level at which EPA advises people with asthma, children and older adults to shorten hard outdoor exertion.

Winter's median AQI of 63 is below Visalia's whole-year median of 71, making it one of the area's cleaner periods. Nationally, the median Winter AQI across every EPA metro area (278,620 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 40, so Visalia runs above the national Winter norm; 9.7% of its Winter days topped AQI 100 versus 0.6% nationally (above average).

Within the season, February is the cleanest month (median AQI 57, 1.0% of days above 100) and December the worst (median 66, 14.3% above 100).

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

Right now in Visalia

The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Visalia's AQI at 83 (PM10). The figures above are multi-year season statistics, not today's reading.

View current Visalia air quality →

Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Visalia-Porterville, 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.