Billings Air Quality in Fall

Across 2019–2025, Billings's fall (September–November) air quality had a median AQI of 36 (Good) over 630 monitored days in the Billings, MT area. 1.0% of fall days (6 of 630) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 86.0% of days. The cleanest fall on record here was 2019 (median AQI 30, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2020 (median 41, 2 days above 100, peak AQI 126).

36
Median AQI
Good
1.0%
Days above AQI 100
6 of 630 days
59
90th percentile AQI
worst 1 day in 10
191
Peak AQI
Unhealthy
PM2.5
Main pollutant
86.0% of days
79.2%
Good days
499 of 630
  • Good: 79.2%
  • Moderate: 19.8%
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.8%
  • Unhealthy or worse: 0.2%

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QUICK ANSWER

How is the air in Billings in fall?

Good on a typical day: median AQI 36 across 2019–2025, with 1.0% of fall days above AQI 100. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the main driver.

  • 79.2% of fall days were Good (AQI 0–50), 19.8% Moderate (51–100).
  • 6 days of 630 reached AQI 101+; the fall peak was 191.
  • Cleanest month: November; worst month: September.

Frequently asked questions

What is the air quality like in Billings in fall?

Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Billings in fall was 36 (Good). 79.2% of days were Good, 19.8% Moderate, and 1.0% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 630 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.

Is fall a good time for outdoor exercise in Billings?

A typical fall day in Billings sits in the Good range (median AQI 36), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; about 1 day in 100 of fall days (1.0%) reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.

Which pollutant causes Billings's fall air quality problems?

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 86.0% of fall days in Billings. The highest fall AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 191 (Unhealthy), in 2020.

Billings fall air quality, year by year

Billings fall air quality by year (Billings, MT, EPA AQS daily AQI)

YearDays monitoredMedian AQIDays above 100Peak AQIMain pollutant
2019cleanest9130059PM2.5
2020worst91412126PM2.5
202189401126PM2.5
202291421107PM2.5
202387352191PM2.5
202490360100PM2.5
20259134091O3

What fall air means in Billings

A typical fall day in Billings sits in the Good range (median AQI 36), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; about 1 day in 100 of fall days (1.0%) reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.

Fall's median AQI of 36 is in line with Billings's whole-year median of 38, so this period is neither a clean nor a dirty stretch for the area. Nationally, the median Fall AQI across every EPA metro area (296,275 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 40, so Billings runs below the national Fall norm; 1.0% of its Fall days topped AQI 100 versus 1.5% nationally (about the same).

Within the season, November is the cleanest month (median AQI 33, 0.0% of days above 100) and September the worst (median 42, 2.9% above 100).

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

Right now in Billings

The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Billings's AQI at 21 (O3). The figures above are multi-year season statistics, not today's reading.

View current Billings air quality →

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