Tampa Best & Worst AQI Days: Air Quality Guide
The worst air quality day on record for Tampa (Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area) was May 30, 2024, when the daily AQI reached 143 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), set by ground-level ozone. Across 2,553 monitored days in 2019–2025, 0 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 2 of them fell in 2023. The cleanest day was June 4, 2022 at AQI 26 (Good); the 10 best days span 6 different years.
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When were Tampa's worst and best air quality days?
Worst: May 30, 2024, AQI 143 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, O3). Best: June 4, 2022, AQI 26 (Good). Based on 2,553 EPA-monitored days in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area, 2019–2025.
- ✓0 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; the 10th-worst was AQI 112 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
- ✓Ground-level ozone drove 8 of the 10 worst days.
- ✓2023 accounts for 2 of the 10 worst days.
Frequently asked questions
What was the worst air quality day in Tampa?▾
May 30, 2024: the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area's daily AQI hit 143 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), driven by ground-level ozone. That is the highest of 2,553 monitored days in 2019–2025.
What was the best air quality day in Tampa?▾
June 4, 2022, with a daily AQI of 26 (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 Tampa's worst air quality day in 2025?▾
April 17, 2025, AQI 129 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), set by ground-level ozone.
Which pollutant causes Tampa'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.
Tampa's 10 worst air quality days, 2019–2025
Highest daily AQI recorded for the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, 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 | (2024 page) | 143 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 2 | (2024 page) | 132 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 3 | (2025 page) | 129 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 4 | (2021 page) | 129 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 5 | (2022 page) | 126 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 6 | (2019 page) | 126 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 7 | (2025 page) | 122 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 8 | (2023 page) | 114 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 9 | (2023 page) | 112 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 10 | (2020 page) | 112 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
Worst day of each year in Tampa
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 | 126 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2020 | 112 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2021 | 129 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2022 | 126 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2023 | 114 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season | |
| 2024 | 143 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2025 | 129 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
Tampa's 10 best air quality days, 2019–2025
Lowest daily AQI recorded for the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area. Ties are listed most recent first.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2022 page) | 26 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 2 | (2021 page) | 26 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 3 | (2024 page) | 27 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 4 | (2023 page) | 27 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 5 | (2022 page) | 27 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 6 | (2020 page) | 27 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 7 | (2025 page) | 28 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 8 | (2024 page) | 28 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 9 | (2024 page) | 28 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 10 | (2021 page) | 28 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
Right now in Tampa
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Tampa's AQI at 45 (PM2.5). The days above are historical records, not today's reading.
View current Tampa air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, 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.