Santa Fe Air Quality in Winter
Across 2019–2025, Santa Fe's winter (December–February) air quality had a median AQI of 38 (Good) over 629 monitored days in the Santa Fe, NM area. 0.0% of winter days (0 of 629) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 94.9% of days. The cleanest winter on record here was 2024 (median AQI 37, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2023 (median 39, 0 days above 100, peak AQI 48).
- Good: 99.0%
- Moderate: 1.0%
- 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 winter?
Good on a typical day: median AQI 38 across 2019–2025, with 0.0% of winter days above AQI 100. Ground-level ozone is the main driver.
- ✓99.0% of winter days were Good (AQI 0–50), 1.0% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓0 days of 629 reached AQI 101+; the winter peak was 58.
- ✓Cleanest month: December; worst month: February.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in Santa Fe in winter?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Santa Fe in winter was 38 (Good). 99.0% of days were Good, 1.0% Moderate, and 0.0% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 629 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.
Is winter a good time for outdoor exercise in Santa Fe?▾
A typical winter day in Santa Fe sits in the Good range (median AQI 38), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of winter days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Which pollutant causes Santa Fe's winter air quality problems?▾
Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 94.9% of winter days in Santa Fe. The highest winter AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 58 (Moderate), in 2023.
Santa Fe winter air quality, year by year
Santa Fe winter air quality by year (Santa Fe, NM, EPA AQS daily AQI)
| Year | Days monitored | Median AQI | Days above 100 | Peak AQI | Main pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 90 | 39 | 0 | 54 | O3 |
| 2020 | 91 | 39 | 0 | 52 | O3 |
| 2021 | 90 | 39 | 0 | 58 | O3 |
| 2022 | 90 | 39 | 0 | 47 | O3 |
| 2023worst | 89 | 39 | 0 | 48 | O3 |
| 2024cleanest | 89 | 37 | 0 | 45 | O3 |
| 2025 | 90 | 37 | 0 | 49 | O3 |
What winter air means in Santa Fe
A typical winter day in Santa Fe sits in the Good range (median AQI 38), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of winter days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Winter's median AQI of 38 is below Santa Fe's whole-year median of 44, making it one of the area's cleaner periods. Nationally, the median Winter AQI across every EPA metro area (278,620 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 40, so Santa Fe runs in line with the national Winter norm; 0.0% of its Winter days topped AQI 100 versus 0.6% nationally (about the same).
Within the season, December is the cleanest month (median AQI 36, 0.0% of days above 100) and February the worst (median 42, 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.