Colorado Springs Best & Worst AQI Days: Air Quality Guide
The worst air quality day on record for Colorado Springs (Colorado Springs, CO area) was July 24, 2024, when the daily AQI reached 166 (Unhealthy), set by ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season. Across 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025, 4 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; 8 of the 10 were driven by ground-level ozone and 2 by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and 4 of them fell in 2024. The cleanest day was February 3, 2019 at AQI 16 (Good); the 10 best days span 4 different years.
Reduce Indoor Ozone in Colorado Springs
Today's main pollutant in Colorado Springs is ground-level ozone (AQI 41). Important: standard HEPA filters do NOT remove ozone — only a purifier with a substantial activated-carbon bed adsorbs it. The biggest wins are cutting indoor sources (gas appliances, certain "ionizer" purifiers) and ventilating when outdoor ozone is low (early morning). A high-carbon unit helps with the gases and VOCs that linger indoors.
Recommended: Levoit Core 300 — True HEPA + activated carbon · CADR ~141 CFM · rooms up to 219 sq ft
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When were Colorado Springs's worst and best air quality days?
Worst: July 24, 2024, AQI 166 (Unhealthy, O3). Best: February 3, 2019, AQI 16 (Good). Based on 2,557 EPA-monitored days in the Colorado Springs, CO area, 2019–2025.
- ✓4 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; the 10th-worst was AQI 136 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
- ✓Ground-level ozone drove 8 of the 10 worst days.
- ✓2024 accounts for 4 of the 10 worst days.
Frequently asked questions
What was the worst air quality day in Colorado Springs?▾
July 24, 2024: the Colorado Springs, CO area's daily AQI hit 166 (Unhealthy), driven by ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season. That is the highest of 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025.
What was the best air quality day in Colorado Springs?▾
February 3, 2019, with a daily AQI of 16 (Good). The daily AQI is the highest reading from any monitor in the area, so even the cleanest day reflects the area's worst monitor.
What was Colorado Springs's worst air quality day in 2025?▾
May 14, 2025, AQI 97 (Moderate), set by ground-level ozone.
Which pollutant causes Colorado Springs's worst air days?▾
Ground-level ozone set the AQI on 8 of the 10 worst days; fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on 2. The tables above list the defining pollutant for every day.
Colorado Springs's 10 worst air quality days, 2019–2025
Highest daily AQI recorded for the Colorado Springs, CO area (EPA AQS). The daily AQI is the highest reading from any monitor in the area that day.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2024 page) | 166 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 2 | (2024 page) | 161 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 3 | (2023 page) | 154 | Unhealthy | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 4 | (2020 page) | 151 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 5 | (2020 page) | 150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 6 | (2023 page) | 145 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 7 | (2024 page) | 140 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 8 | (2024 page) | 140 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 9 | (2021 page) | 140 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 10 | (2021 page) | 136 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
Worst day of each year in Colorado Springs
The single highest-AQI day in each year on record. Click a year for its full month-by-month statistics.
| Year | Worst day | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 100 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2020 | 151 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2021 | 140 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2022 | 115 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2023 | 154 | Unhealthy | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) | |
| 2024 | 166 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2025 | 97 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone |
Colorado Springs's 10 best air quality days, 2019–2025
Lowest daily AQI recorded for the Colorado Springs, CO area. Ties are listed most recent first.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2019 page) | 16 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 2 | (2019 page) | 20 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 3 | (2025 page) | 22 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 4 | (2020 page) | 22 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 5 | (2021 page) | 23 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 6 | (2020 page) | 23 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 7 | (2025 page) | 24 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 8 | (2020 page) | 24 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 9 | (2021 page) | 25 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 10 | (2019 page) | 25 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
Right now in Colorado Springs
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Colorado Springs's AQI at 41 (O3). The days above are historical records, not today's reading.
View current Colorado Springs air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Colorado Springs, CO), 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.