Colorado Springs Air Quality in Winter
Across 2019–2025, Colorado Springs's winter (December–February) air quality had a median AQI of 42 (Good) over 632 monitored days in the Colorado Springs, CO area. 0.0% of winter days (0 of 632) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 85.4% of days. The cleanest winter on record here was 2025 (median AQI 40, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2024 (median 43, 0 days above 100, peak AQI 56).
- Good: 91.9%
- Moderate: 8.1%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.0%
- Unhealthy or worse: 0.0%
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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How is the air in Colorado Springs in winter?
Good on a typical day: median AQI 42 across 2019–2025, with 0.0% of winter days above AQI 100. Ground-level ozone is the main driver.
- ✓91.9% of winter days were Good (AQI 0–50), 8.1% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓0 days of 632 reached AQI 101+; the winter peak was 67.
- ✓Cleanest month: December; worst month: February.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in Colorado Springs in winter?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Colorado Springs in winter was 42 (Good). 91.9% of days were Good, 8.1% Moderate, and 0.0% 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 Colorado Springs?▾
A typical winter day in Colorado Springs sits in the Good range (median AQI 42), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of winter days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Which pollutant causes Colorado Springs's winter air quality problems?▾
Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 85.4% of winter days in Colorado Springs. The highest winter AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 67 (Moderate), in 2024.
Colorado Springs winter air quality, year by year
Colorado Springs winter air quality by year (Colorado Springs, CO, EPA AQS daily AQI)
| Year | Days monitored | Median AQI | Days above 100 | Peak AQI | Main pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 90 | 42 | 0 | 63 | O3 |
| 2020 | 91 | 41 | 0 | 62 | O3 |
| 2021 | 90 | 43 | 0 | 67 | O3 |
| 2022 | 90 | 42 | 0 | 60 | O3 |
| 2023 | 90 | 42 | 0 | 64 | O3 |
| 2024worst | 91 | 43 | 0 | 56 | O3 |
| 2025cleanest | 90 | 40 | 0 | 58 | O3 |
What winter air means in Colorado Springs
A typical winter day in Colorado Springs sits in the Good range (median AQI 42), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of winter days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Winter's median AQI of 42 is below Colorado Springs's whole-year median of 46, 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 Colorado Springs runs in line with the national Winter norm; 0.0% of its Winter days topped AQI 100 versus 0.6% nationally (about the same).
Within the season, December is the cleanest month (median AQI 41, 0.0% of days above 100) and February the worst (median 44, 0.0% above 100).
Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.
Right now in Colorado Springs
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Colorado Springs's AQI at 41 (O3). The figures above are multi-year season statistics, 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.