Des Moines Air Quality in Spring
Across 2019–2025, Des Moines's spring (March–May) air quality had a median AQI of 44 (Good) over 644 monitored days in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA area. 0.2% of spring days (1 of 644) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 60.9% of days. The cleanest spring on record here was 2020 (median AQI 40, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2023 (median 53, 1 day above 100, peak AQI 101).
- Good: 69.4%
- Moderate: 30.4%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.2%
- Unhealthy or worse: 0.0%
Improve Indoor Air Quality
Even with good outdoor air in Des Moines, indoor PM2.5, dust and allergens build up. A True-HEPA purifier keeps a bedroom or office consistently clean.
Recommended: Levoit Core 400S — True HEPA · CADR ~141 CFM · rooms up to 219 sq ft
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
How is the air in Des Moines in spring?
Good on a typical day: median AQI 44 across 2019–2025, with 0.2% of spring days above AQI 100. Ground-level ozone is the main driver.
- ✓69.4% of spring days were Good (AQI 0–50), 30.4% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓1 day of 644 reached AQI 101+; the spring peak was 101.
- ✓Cleanest month: March; worst month: May.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in Des Moines in spring?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Des Moines in spring was 44 (Good). 69.4% of days were Good, 30.4% Moderate, and 0.2% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 644 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.
Is spring a good time for outdoor exercise in Des Moines?▾
A typical spring day in Des Moines sits in the Good range (median AQI 44), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of spring days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Which pollutant causes Des Moines's spring air quality problems?▾
Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 60.9% of spring days in Des Moines. The highest spring AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 101 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), in 2023.
Des Moines spring air quality, year by year
Des Moines spring air quality by year (Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, EPA AQS daily AQI)
| Year | Days monitored | Median AQI | Days above 100 | Peak AQI | Main pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 92 | 44 | 0 | 97 | O3 |
| 2020cleanest | 92 | 40 | 0 | 66 | O3 |
| 2021 | 92 | 43 | 0 | 74 | O3 |
| 2022 | 92 | 42 | 0 | 80 | O3 |
| 2023worst | 92 | 53 | 1 | 101 | PM2.5 |
| 2024 | 92 | 46 | 0 | 80 | O3 |
| 2025 | 92 | 46 | 0 | 87 | O3 |
What spring air means in Des Moines
A typical spring day in Des Moines sits in the Good range (median AQI 44), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of spring days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Spring's median AQI of 44 is in line with Des Moines's whole-year median of 44, so this period is neither a clean nor a dirty stretch for the area. Nationally, the median Spring AQI across every EPA metro area (307,196 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 43, so Des Moines runs in line with the national Spring norm; 0.2% of its Spring days topped AQI 100 versus 0.8% nationally (about the same).
Within the season, March is the cleanest month (median AQI 42, 0.0% of days above 100) and May the worst (median 45, 0.5% above 100).
Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.
Right now in Des Moines
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Des Moines's AQI at 32 (PM2.5). The figures above are multi-year season statistics, not today's reading.
View current Des Moines air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA), 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.