New Orleans Air Quality in Winter
Across 2019–2025, New Orleans's winter (December–February) air quality had a median AQI of 48 (Good) over 632 monitored days in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA area. 0.5% of winter days (3 of 632) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 73.3% of days. The cleanest winter on record here was 2025 (median AQI 43, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2023 (median 49, 1 day above 100, peak AQI 126).
- Good: 55.2%
- Moderate: 44.3%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.3%
- Unhealthy or worse: 0.2%
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How is the air in New Orleans in winter?
Good on a typical day: median AQI 48 across 2019–2025, with 0.5% of winter days above AQI 100. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the main driver.
- ✓55.2% of winter days were Good (AQI 0–50), 44.3% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓3 days of 632 reached AQI 101+; the winter peak was 188.
- ✓Cleanest month: February; worst month: January.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in New Orleans in winter?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in New Orleans in winter was 48 (Good). 55.2% of days were Good, 44.3% Moderate, and 0.5% 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 New Orleans?▾
A typical winter day in New Orleans sits in the Good range (median AQI 48), 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 New Orleans's winter air quality problems?▾
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 73.3% of winter days in New Orleans. The highest winter AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 188 (Unhealthy), in 2023.
New Orleans winter air quality, year by year
New Orleans winter air quality by year (New Orleans-Metairie, LA, EPA AQS daily AQI)
| Year | Days monitored | Median AQI | Days above 100 | Peak AQI | Main pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 90 | 47 | 1 | 112 | PM2.5 |
| 2020 | 91 | 47 | 0 | 90 | PM2.5 |
| 2021 | 90 | 51 | 0 | 66 | PM2.5 |
| 2022 | 90 | 53 | 0 | 90 | PM2.5 |
| 2023worst | 90 | 49 | 1 | 126 | PM2.5 |
| 2024 | 91 | 44 | 1 | 188 | PM2.5 |
| 2025cleanest | 90 | 43 | 0 | 81 | PM2.5 |
What winter air means in New Orleans
A typical winter day in New Orleans sits in the Good range (median AQI 48), 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 48 is in line with New Orleans's whole-year median of 49, so this period is neither a clean nor a dirty stretch for the area. Nationally, the median Winter AQI across every EPA metro area (278,620 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 40, so New Orleans runs above the national Winter norm; 0.5% of its Winter days topped AQI 100 versus 0.6% nationally (about the same).
Within the season, February is the cleanest month (median AQI 52, 0.0% of days above 100) and January the worst (median 47, 1.0% above 100).
Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.
Right now in New Orleans
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts New Orleans's AQI at 43 (PM2.5). The figures above are multi-year season statistics, 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.