Baton Rouge Air Quality in Winter

Across 2019–2025, Baton Rouge's winter (December–February) air quality had a median AQI of 49 (Good) over 632 monitored days in the Baton Rouge, LA area. 0.3% of winter days (2 of 632) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 78.8% of days. The cleanest winter on record here was 2019 (median AQI 46, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2023 (median 52, 1 day above 100, peak AQI 125).

49
Median AQI
Good
0.3%
Days above AQI 100
2 of 632 days
60
90th percentile AQI
worst 1 day in 10
125
Peak AQI
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
PM2.5
Main pollutant
78.8% of days
52.4%
Good days
331 of 632
  • Good: 52.4%
  • Moderate: 47.3%
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.3%
  • Unhealthy or worse: 0.0%

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QUICK ANSWER

How is the air in Baton Rouge in winter?

Good on a typical day: median AQI 49 across 2019–2025, with 0.3% of winter days above AQI 100. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the main driver.

  • 52.4% of winter days were Good (AQI 0–50), 47.3% Moderate (51–100).
  • 2 days of 632 reached AQI 101+; the winter peak was 125.
  • Cleanest month: February; worst month: January.

Frequently asked questions

What is the air quality like in Baton Rouge in winter?

Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Baton Rouge in winter was 49 (Good). 52.4% of days were Good, 47.3% Moderate, and 0.3% 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 Baton Rouge?

A typical winter day in Baton Rouge sits in the Good range (median AQI 49), 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 Baton Rouge's winter air quality problems?

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 78.8% of winter days in Baton Rouge. The highest winter AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 125 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), in 2023.

Baton Rouge winter air quality, year by year

Baton Rouge winter air quality by year (Baton Rouge, LA, EPA AQS daily AQI)

YearDays monitoredMedian AQIDays above 100Peak AQIMain pollutant
2019cleanest9046092PM2.5
202091441105PM2.5
20219052073PM2.5
20229051093PM2.5
2023worst90521125PM2.5
20249151077PM2.5
20259052069PM2.5

What winter air means in Baton Rouge

A typical winter day in Baton Rouge sits in the Good range (median AQI 49), 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 49 is below Baton Rouge's whole-year median of 53, 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 Baton Rouge runs above the national Winter norm; 0.3% of its Winter days topped AQI 100 versus 0.6% nationally (about the same).

Within the season, February is the cleanest month (median AQI 50, 0.0% of days above 100) and January the worst (median 46, 0.9% above 100).

Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.

Right now in Baton Rouge

The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Baton Rouge's AQI at 46 (PM2.5). The figures above are multi-year season statistics, not today's reading.

View current Baton Rouge air quality →

Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Baton Rouge, LA), 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.