Santa Fe Air Quality in Summer
Across 2019–2025, Santa Fe's summer (June–August) air quality had a median AQI of 50 (Good) over 643 monitored days in the Santa Fe, NM area. 0.6% of summer days (4 of 643) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 89.7% of days. The cleanest summer on record here was 2025 (median AQI 47, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2021 (median 54, 2 days above 100, peak AQI 113).
- Good: 53.8%
- Moderate: 45.6%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.6%
- 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 summer?
Good on a typical day: median AQI 50 across 2019–2025, with 0.6% of summer days above AQI 100. Ground-level ozone is the main driver.
- ✓53.8% of summer days were Good (AQI 0–50), 45.6% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓4 days of 643 reached AQI 101+; the summer peak was 113.
- ✓Cleanest month: June; worst month: August.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in Santa Fe in summer?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Santa Fe in summer was 50 (Good). 53.8% of days were Good, 45.6% Moderate, and 0.6% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 643 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.
Is summer a good time for outdoor exercise in Santa Fe?▾
A typical summer day in Santa Fe sits in the Good range (median AQI 50), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of summer days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Which pollutant causes Santa Fe's summer air quality problems?▾
Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 89.7% of summer days in Santa Fe. The highest summer AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 113 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), in 2021.
Santa Fe summer air quality, year by year
Santa Fe summer air quality by year (Santa Fe, NM, EPA AQS daily AQI)
| Year | Days monitored | Median AQI | Days above 100 | Peak AQI | Main pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 92 | 51 | 0 | 87 | O3 |
| 2020 | 92 | 48 | 1 | 101 | O3 |
| 2021worst | 91 | 54 | 2 | 113 | O3 |
| 2022 | 92 | 50 | 0 | 97 | O3 |
| 2023 | 92 | 52 | 0 | 84 | O3 |
| 2024 | 92 | 54 | 1 | 101 | O3 |
| 2025cleanest | 92 | 47 | 0 | 80 | O3 |
What summer air means in Santa Fe
A typical summer day in Santa Fe sits in the Good range (median AQI 50), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of summer days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Summer's median AQI of 50 is above Santa Fe's whole-year median of 44, making it one of the area's dirtier periods. Nationally, the median Summer AQI across every EPA metro area (308,645 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 46, so Santa Fe runs above the national Summer norm; 0.6% of its Summer days topped AQI 100 versus 3.6% nationally (below average).
Within the season, June is the cleanest month (median AQI 50, 0.5% of days above 100) and August the worst (median 48, 0.9% 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.