New Orleans Best & Worst AQI Days: Air Quality Guide
The worst air quality day on record for New Orleans (New Orleans-Metairie, LA area) was January 1, 2024, when the daily AQI reached 188 (Unhealthy), set by fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Across 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025, 1 of the 10 worst days was Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; 7 of the 10 were driven by ground-level ozone and 3 by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and 7 of them fell in 2023. The cleanest day was September 1, 2021 at AQI 17 (Good); the 10 best days span 3 different years.
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When were New Orleans's worst and best air quality days?
Worst: January 1, 2024, AQI 188 (Unhealthy, PM2.5). Best: September 1, 2021, AQI 17 (Good). Based on 2,557 EPA-monitored days in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA area, 2019–2025.
- ✓1 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; the 10th-worst was AQI 108 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
- ✓Ground-level ozone drove 7 of the 10 worst days.
- ✓2023 accounts for 7 of the 10 worst days.
Frequently asked questions
What was the worst air quality day in New Orleans?▾
January 1, 2024: the New Orleans-Metairie, LA area's daily AQI hit 188 (Unhealthy), driven by fine particulate matter (PM2.5). That is the highest of 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025.
What was the best air quality day in New Orleans?▾
September 1, 2021, with a daily AQI of 17 (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 New Orleans's worst air quality day in 2025?▾
March 11, 2025, AQI 105 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), set by ground-level ozone.
Which pollutant causes New Orleans's worst air days?▾
Ground-level ozone set the AQI on 7 of the 10 worst days; fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on 3. The tables above list the defining pollutant for every day.
New Orleans's 10 worst air quality days, 2019–2025
Highest daily AQI recorded for the New Orleans-Metairie, LA 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) | 188 | Unhealthy | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 2 | (2023 page) | 126 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 3 | (2023 page) | 119 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 4 | (2023 page) | 115 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 5 | (2023 page) | 112 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 6 | (2023 page) | 112 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 7 | (2019 page) | 112 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 8 | (2024 page) | 108 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 9 | (2023 page) | 108 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 10 | (2023 page) | 108 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
Worst day of each year in New Orleans
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 | 112 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) | |
| 2020 | 90 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2021 | 108 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2022 | 108 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2023 | 126 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) | |
| 2024 | 188 | Unhealthy | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) | |
| 2025 | 105 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
New Orleans's 10 best air quality days, 2019–2025
Lowest daily AQI recorded for the New Orleans-Metairie, LA area. Ties are listed most recent first.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2021 page) | 17 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 2 | (2021 page) | 17 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 3 | (2021 page) | 19 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 4 | (2020 page) | 19 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 5 | (2019 page) | 19 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 6 | (2021 page) | 20 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 7 | (2020 page) | 20 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 8 | (2021 page) | 21 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 9 | (2020 page) | 21 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 10 | (2020 page) | 22 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
Right now in New Orleans
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts New Orleans's AQI at 43 (PM2.5). The days above are historical records, not today's reading.
View current New Orleans air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (New Orleans-Metairie, 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.