Santa Fe Best & Worst AQI Days: Air Quality Guide
The worst air quality day on record for Santa Fe (Santa Fe, NM area) was August 8, 2021, when the daily AQI reached 113 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), set by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season. Across 2,547 monitored days in 2019–2025, 0 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; 8 of the 10 were driven by ground-level ozone and 2 by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and 3 of them fell in 2020. The cleanest day was February 16, 2024 at AQI 0 (Good); the 10 best days span 5 different years.
Reduce Indoor Ozone in Santa Fe
Today's main pollutant in Santa Fe is ground-level ozone (AQI 35). 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
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
When were Santa Fe's worst and best air quality days?
Worst: August 8, 2021, AQI 113 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, PM2.5). Best: February 16, 2024, AQI 0 (Good). Based on 2,547 EPA-monitored days in the Santa Fe, NM area, 2019–2025.
- ✓0 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; the 10th-worst was AQI 97 (Moderate).
- ✓Ground-level ozone drove 8 of the 10 worst days.
- ✓2020 accounts for 3 of the 10 worst days.
Frequently asked questions
What was the worst air quality day in Santa Fe?▾
August 8, 2021: the Santa Fe, NM area's daily AQI hit 113 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), driven by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season. That is the highest of 2,547 monitored days in 2019–2025.
What was the best air quality day in Santa Fe?▾
February 16, 2024, with a daily AQI of 0 (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 Santa Fe's worst air quality day in 2025?▾
April 19, 2025, AQI 93 (Moderate), set by ground-level ozone.
Which pollutant causes Santa Fe's worst air days?▾
Ground-level ozone set the AQI on 8 of the 10 worst days; fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on 2. The tables above list the defining pollutant for every day.
Santa Fe's 10 worst air quality days, 2019–2025
Highest daily AQI recorded for the Santa Fe, NM area (EPA AQS). The daily AQI is the highest reading from any monitor in the area that day.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2021 page) | 113 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 2 | (2021 page) | 112 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 3 | (2024 page) | 101 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 4 | (2020 page) | 101 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 5 | (2019 page) | 101 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 6 | (2024 page) | 100 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 7 | (2020 page) | 100 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 8 | (2020 page) | 100 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 9 | (2022 page) | 98 | Moderate | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 10 | (2024 page) | 97 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
Worst day of each year in Santa Fe
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 | 101 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2020 | 101 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2021 | 113 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season | |
| 2022 | 98 | Moderate | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) | |
| 2023 | 84 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2024 | 101 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2025 | 93 | Moderate | O3 — ground-level ozone |
Santa Fe's 10 best air quality days, 2019–2025
Lowest daily AQI recorded for the Santa Fe, NM area. Ties are listed most recent first.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2024 page) | 0 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 2 | (2023 page) | 0 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 3 | (2023 page) | 0 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 4 | (2023 page) | 0 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 5 | (2020 page) | 7 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 6 | (2019 page) | 7 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 7 | (2024 page) | 8 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 8 | (2022 page) | 8 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 9 | (2023 page) | 9 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 10 | (2020 page) | 9 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
Right now in Santa Fe
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Santa Fe's AQI at 35 (O3). The days above are historical records, not today's reading.
View current Santa Fe air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Santa Fe, NM), 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.