Honolulu Air Quality in Summer
Across 2019–2025, Honolulu's summer (June–August) air quality had a median AQI of 23 (Good) over 644 monitored days in the Urban Honolulu, HI area. 0.0% of summer days (0 of 644) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 49.8% of days. The cleanest summer on record here was 2020 (median AQI 21, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2023 (median 28, 0 days above 100, peak AQI 73).
- Good: 98.8%
- Moderate: 1.2%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.0%
- Unhealthy or worse: 0.0%
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How is the air in Honolulu in summer?
Good on a typical day: median AQI 23 across 2019–2025, with 0.0% of summer days above AQI 100. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the main driver.
- ✓98.8% of summer days were Good (AQI 0–50), 1.2% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓0 days of 644 reached AQI 101+; the summer peak was 73.
- ✓Cleanest month: July; worst month: June.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in Honolulu in summer?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Honolulu in summer was 23 (Good). 98.8% of days were Good, 1.2% Moderate, and 0.0% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 644 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.
Is summer a good time for outdoor exercise in Honolulu?▾
A typical summer day in Honolulu sits in the Good range (median AQI 23), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of summer days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Which pollutant causes Honolulu's summer air quality problems?▾
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 49.8% of summer days in Honolulu. The highest summer AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 73 (Moderate), in 2023.
Honolulu summer air quality, year by year
Honolulu summer air quality by year (Urban Honolulu, HI, EPA AQS daily AQI)
| Year | Days monitored | Median AQI | Days above 100 | Peak AQI | Main pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 92 | 24 | 0 | 37 | O3 |
| 2020cleanest | 92 | 21 | 0 | 36 | O3 |
| 2021 | 92 | 22 | 0 | 58 | O3 |
| 2022 | 92 | 24 | 0 | 52 | PM2.5 |
| 2023worst | 92 | 28 | 0 | 73 | PM2.5 |
| 2024 | 92 | 27 | 0 | 52 | PM2.5 |
| 2025 | 92 | 22 | 0 | 38 | O3 |
What summer air means in Honolulu
A typical summer day in Honolulu sits in the Good range (median AQI 23), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of summer days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Summer's median AQI of 23 is below Honolulu's whole-year median of 29, making it one of the area's cleaner periods. Nationally, the median Summer AQI across every EPA metro area (308,645 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 46, so Honolulu runs below the national Summer norm; 0.0% of its Summer days topped AQI 100 versus 3.6% nationally (below average).
Within the season, July is the cleanest month (median AQI 23, 0.0% of days above 100) and June the worst (median 25, 0.0% above 100).
Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.
Right now in Honolulu
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Honolulu's AQI at 15 (PM2.5). The figures above are multi-year season statistics, not today's reading.
View current Honolulu air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Urban Honolulu, HI), 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.