Sarasota Best & Worst AQI Days: Air Quality Guide
The worst air quality day on record for Sarasota (North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL area) was October 3, 2023, when the daily AQI reached 143 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), set by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season. Across 2,550 monitored days in 2019–2025, 0 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; 9 of the 10 were driven by ground-level ozone and 1 by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and 3 of them fell in 2019. The cleanest day was September 27, 2022 at AQI 16 (Good); the 10 best days span 4 different years.
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When were Sarasota's worst and best air quality days?
Worst: October 3, 2023, AQI 143 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, PM2.5). Best: September 27, 2022, AQI 16 (Good). Based on 2,550 EPA-monitored days in the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL area, 2019–2025.
- ✓0 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; the 10th-worst was AQI 97 (Moderate).
- ✓Ground-level ozone drove 9 of the 10 worst days.
- ✓2019 accounts for 3 of the 10 worst days.
Frequently asked questions
What was the worst air quality day in Sarasota?▾
October 3, 2023: the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL area's daily AQI hit 143 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), driven by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season. That is the highest of 2,550 monitored days in 2019–2025.
What was the best air quality day in Sarasota?▾
September 27, 2022, 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 Sarasota's worst air quality day in 2025?▾
April 17, 2025, AQI 97 (Moderate), set by ground-level ozone.
Which pollutant causes Sarasota's worst air days?▾
Ground-level ozone set the AQI on 9 of the 10 worst days; fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on 1. The tables above list the defining pollutant for every day.
Sarasota's 10 worst air quality days, 2019–2025
Highest daily AQI recorded for the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL area (EPA AQS). The daily AQI is the highest reading from any monitor in the area that day.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2023 page) | 143 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 2 | (2024 page) | 115 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 3 | (2019 page) | 108 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 4 | (2019 page) | 101 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 5 | (2023 page) | 100 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 6 | (2023 page) | 100 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 7 | (2022 page) | 100 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 8 | (2019 page) | 100 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 9 | (2025 page) | 97 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 10 | (2020 page) | 97 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone |
Worst day of each year in Sarasota
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 | 108 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2020 | 97 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2021 | 93 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2022 | 100 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2023 | 143 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season | |
| 2024 | 115 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2025 | 97 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone |
Sarasota's 10 best air quality days, 2019–2025
Lowest daily AQI recorded for the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL area. Ties are listed most recent first.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2022 page) | 16 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 2 | (2024 page) | 17 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 3 | (2022 page) | 22 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 4 | (2021 page) | 22 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 5 | (2020 page) | 22 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 6 | (2020 page) | 22 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 7 | (2024 page) | 23 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 8 | (2022 page) | 23 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 9 | (2022 page) | 23 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 10 | (2020 page) | 23 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
Right now in Sarasota
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Sarasota's AQI at 42 (PM2.5). The days above are historical records, not today's reading.
View current Sarasota air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL), 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.