Durham Air Quality in April
Across 2019–2025, Durham's April air quality had a median AQI of 49 (Good) over 210 monitored days in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC area. 0.5% of April days (1 of 210) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 57.6% of days. The cleanest April on record here was 2022 (median AQI 47, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2023 (median 45, 1 day above 100, peak AQI 101).
- Good: 53.8%
- Moderate: 45.7%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.5%
- Unhealthy or worse: 0.0%
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How is the air in Durham in April?
Good on a typical day: median AQI 49 across 2019–2025, with 0.5% of April days above AQI 100. Ground-level ozone is the main driver.
- ✓53.8% of April days were Good (AQI 0–50), 45.7% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓1 day of 210 reached AQI 101+; the April peak was 101.
- ✓Best April: 2022; worst April: 2023.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in Durham in April?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Durham in April was 49 (Good). 53.8% of days were Good, 45.7% Moderate, and 0.5% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 210 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.
Is April a good time for outdoor exercise in Durham?▾
A typical April day in Durham 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 April days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Which pollutant causes Durham's April air quality problems?▾
Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 57.6% of April days in Durham. The highest April AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 101 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), in 2023.
Durham April air quality, year by year
Durham April air quality by year (Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, EPA AQS daily AQI)
| Year | Days monitored | Median AQI | Days above 100 | Peak AQI | Main pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 30 | 49 | 0 | 80 | O3 |
| 2020 | 30 | 48 | 0 | 60 | PM2.5 |
| 2021 | 30 | 50 | 0 | 90 | O3 |
| 2022cleanest | 30 | 47 | 0 | 57 | O3 |
| 2023worst | 30 | 45 | 1 | 101 | O3 |
| 2024 | 30 | 55 | 0 | 71 | PM2.5 |
| 2025 | 30 | 52 | 0 | 64 | PM2.5 |
What April air means in Durham
A typical April day in Durham 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 April days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
April's median AQI of 49 is above Durham's whole-year median of 44, making it one of the area's dirtier periods. Nationally, the median April AQI across every EPA metro area (100,677 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 44, so Durham runs above the national April norm; 0.5% of its April days topped AQI 100 versus 0.7% nationally (about the same).
April is part of Durham's spring season (March, April, May); the spring page pools all three months.
Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.
Right now in Durham
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Durham's AQI at 41 (PM2.5). The figures above are multi-year month statistics, not today's reading.
View current Durham air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Durham-Chapel Hill, NC), 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.