Santa Fe Air Quality in Fall
Across 2019–2025, Santa Fe's fall (September–November) air quality had a median AQI of 41 (Good) over 633 monitored days in the Santa Fe, NM area. 0.0% of fall days (0 of 633) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 93.0% of days. The cleanest fall on record here was 2019 (median AQI 40, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2024 (median 42, 0 days above 100, peak AQI 64).
- Good: 91.6%
- Moderate: 8.4%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.0%
- Unhealthy or worse: 0.0%
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
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How is the air in Santa Fe in fall?
Good on a typical day: median AQI 41 across 2019–2025, with 0.0% of fall days above AQI 100. Ground-level ozone is the main driver.
- ✓91.6% of fall days were Good (AQI 0–50), 8.4% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓0 days of 633 reached AQI 101+; the fall peak was 71.
- ✓Cleanest month: November; worst month: September.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in Santa Fe in fall?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Santa Fe in fall was 41 (Good). 91.6% of days were Good, 8.4% Moderate, and 0.0% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 633 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.
Is fall a good time for outdoor exercise in Santa Fe?▾
A typical fall day in Santa Fe sits in the Good range (median AQI 41), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of fall days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Which pollutant causes Santa Fe's fall air quality problems?▾
Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 93.0% of fall days in Santa Fe. The highest fall AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 71 (Moderate), in 2024.
Santa Fe fall air quality, year by year
Santa Fe fall air quality by year (Santa Fe, NM, EPA AQS daily AQI)
| Year | Days monitored | Median AQI | Days above 100 | Peak AQI | Main pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019cleanest | 89 | 40 | 0 | 67 | O3 |
| 2020 | 91 | 41 | 0 | 64 | O3 |
| 2021 | 91 | 42 | 0 | 71 | O3 |
| 2022 | 91 | 40 | 0 | 71 | O3 |
| 2023 | 90 | 40 | 0 | 54 | O3 |
| 2024worst | 90 | 42 | 0 | 64 | O3 |
| 2025 | 91 | 40 | 0 | 58 | O3 |
What fall air means in Santa Fe
A typical fall day in Santa Fe sits in the Good range (median AQI 41), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of fall days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Fall's median AQI of 41 is in line with Santa Fe's whole-year median of 44, 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 Santa Fe runs in line with the national Fall norm; 0.0% of its Fall days topped AQI 100 versus 1.5% nationally (below average).
Within the season, November is the cleanest month (median AQI 37, 0.0% of days above 100) and September the worst (median 45, 0.0% above 100).
Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.
Right now in Santa Fe
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Santa Fe's AQI at 35 (O3). The figures above are multi-year season statistics, 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.