Omaha Best & Worst AQI Days: Air Quality Guide
The worst air quality day on record for Omaha (Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA area) was June 6, 2023, when the daily AQI reached 169 (Unhealthy), set by ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season. Across 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025, 3 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; 6 of the 10 were driven by ground-level ozone and 4 by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and 6 of them fell in 2023. The cleanest day was February 4, 2020 at AQI 14 (Good); the 10 best days span 5 different years.
Reduce Indoor Ozone in Omaha
Today's main pollutant in Omaha is ground-level ozone (AQI 10). Important: standard HEPA filters do NOT remove ozone — only a purifier with a substantial activated-carbon bed adsorbs it. The biggest wins are cutting indoor sources (gas appliances, certain "ionizer" purifiers) and ventilating when outdoor ozone is low (early morning). A high-carbon unit helps with the gases and VOCs that linger indoors.
Recommended: Levoit Core 300 — True HEPA + activated carbon · CADR ~141 CFM · rooms up to 219 sq ft
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When were Omaha's worst and best air quality days?
Worst: June 6, 2023, AQI 169 (Unhealthy, O3). Best: February 4, 2020, AQI 14 (Good). Based on 2,557 EPA-monitored days in the Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA area, 2019–2025.
- ✓3 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; the 10th-worst was AQI 136 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
- ✓Ground-level ozone drove 6 of the 10 worst days.
- ✓2023 accounts for 6 of the 10 worst days.
Frequently asked questions
What was the worst air quality day in Omaha?▾
June 6, 2023: the Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA area's daily AQI hit 169 (Unhealthy), driven by ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season. That is the highest of 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025.
What was the best air quality day in Omaha?▾
February 4, 2020, with a daily AQI of 14 (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 Omaha's worst air quality day in 2025?▾
August 1, 2025, AQI 137 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), set by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season.
Which pollutant causes Omaha's worst air days?▾
Ground-level ozone set the AQI on 6 of the 10 worst days; fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on 4. The tables above list the defining pollutant for every day.
Omaha's 10 worst air quality days, 2019–2025
Highest daily AQI recorded for the Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA area (EPA AQS). The daily AQI is the highest reading from any monitor in the area that day.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2023 page) | 169 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 2 | (2020 page) | 157 | Unhealthy | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 3 | (2023 page) | 154 | Unhealthy | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 4 | (2021 page) | 150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 5 | (2020 page) | 149 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 6 | (2023 page) | 147 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 7 | (2023 page) | 140 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 8 | (2023 page) | 140 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 9 | (2025 page) | 137 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 10 | (2023 page) | 136 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
Worst day of each year in Omaha
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 | 97 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2020 | 157 | Unhealthy | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season | |
| 2021 | 150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2022 | 108 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2023 | 169 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2024 | 110 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season | |
| 2025 | 137 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
Omaha's 10 best air quality days, 2019–2025
Lowest daily AQI recorded for the Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA area. Ties are listed most recent first.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2020 page) | 14 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 2 | (2023 page) | 16 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 3 | (2023 page) | 16 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 4 | (2019 page) | 17 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 5 | (2019 page) | 18 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 6 | (2021 page) | 19 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 7 | (2021 page) | 19 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 8 | (2020 page) | 19 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 9 | (2020 page) | 19 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 10 | (2025 page) | 20 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
Right now in Omaha
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Omaha's AQI at 10 (O3). The days above are historical records, not today's reading.
View current Omaha air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA), 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.