Durham Air Quality in Spring
Across 2019–2025, Durham's spring (March–May) air quality had a median AQI of 47 (Good) over 644 monitored days in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC area. 0.2% of spring days (1 of 644) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 58.5% of days. The cleanest spring on record here was 2020 (median AQI 43, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2023 (median 45, 1 day above 100, peak AQI 101).
- Good: 62.3%
- Moderate: 37.6%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.2%
- Unhealthy or worse: 0.0%
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How is the air in Durham in spring?
Good on a typical day: median AQI 47 across 2019–2025, with 0.2% of spring days above AQI 100. Ground-level ozone is the main driver.
- ✓62.3% of spring days were Good (AQI 0–50), 37.6% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓1 day of 644 reached AQI 101+; the spring peak was 101.
- ✓Cleanest month: May; worst month: April.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in Durham in spring?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Durham in spring was 47 (Good). 62.3% of days were Good, 37.6% Moderate, and 0.2% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 644 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.
Is spring a good time for outdoor exercise in Durham?▾
A typical spring day in Durham sits in the Good range (median AQI 47), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of spring days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Which pollutant causes Durham's spring air quality problems?▾
Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 58.5% of spring days in Durham. The highest spring AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 101 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), in 2023.
Durham spring air quality, year by year
Durham spring 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 | 92 | 49 | 0 | 80 | O3 |
| 2020cleanest | 92 | 43 | 0 | 79 | PM2.5 |
| 2021 | 92 | 47 | 0 | 90 | O3 |
| 2022 | 92 | 46 | 0 | 77 | O3 |
| 2023worst | 92 | 45 | 1 | 101 | O3 |
| 2024 | 92 | 50 | 0 | 89 | PM2.5 |
| 2025 | 92 | 46 | 0 | 74 | O3 |
What spring air means in Durham
A typical spring day in Durham sits in the Good range (median AQI 47), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of spring days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Spring's median AQI of 47 is in line with Durham's whole-year median of 44, so this period is neither a clean nor a dirty stretch for the area. Nationally, the median Spring AQI across every EPA metro area (307,196 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 43, so Durham runs above the national Spring norm; 0.2% of its Spring days topped AQI 100 versus 0.8% nationally (about the same).
Within the season, May is the cleanest month (median AQI 45, 0.0% of days above 100) and April the worst (median 49, 0.5% above 100).
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 season 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.