Erie Air Quality in Summer

Across 2019–2025, Erie's summer (June–August) air quality had a median AQI of 44 (Good) over 644 monitored days in the Erie, PA area. 1.4% of summer days (9 of 644) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 57.0% of days. The cleanest summer on record here was 2019 (median AQI 42, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2023 (median 54, 8 days above 100, peak AQI 180).

44
Median AQI
Good
1.4%
Days above AQI 100
9 of 644 days
70
90th percentile AQI
worst 1 day in 10
180
Peak AQI
Unhealthy
O3
Main pollutant
57.0% of days
66.3%
Good days
427 of 644
  • Good: 66.3%
  • Moderate: 32.3%
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.9%
  • Unhealthy or worse: 0.5%

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QUICK ANSWER

How is the air in Erie in summer?

Good on a typical day: median AQI 44 across 2019–2025, with 1.4% of summer days above AQI 100. Ground-level ozone is the main driver.

  • 66.3% of summer days were Good (AQI 0–50), 32.3% Moderate (51–100).
  • 9 days of 644 reached AQI 101+; the summer peak was 180.
  • Cleanest month: August; worst month: June.

Frequently asked questions

What is the air quality like in Erie in summer?

Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Erie in summer was 44 (Good). 66.3% of days were Good, 32.3% Moderate, and 1.4% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 644 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.

Is summer a good time for outdoor exercise in Erie?

A typical summer day in Erie sits in the Good range (median AQI 44), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; about 1 day in 71 of summer days (1.4%) reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.

Which pollutant causes Erie's summer air quality problems?

Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 57.0% of summer days in Erie. The highest summer AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 180 (Unhealthy), in 2023.

Erie summer air quality, year by year

Erie summer air quality by year (Erie, PA, EPA AQS daily AQI)

YearDays monitoredMedian AQIDays above 100Peak AQIMain pollutant
2019cleanest9242093O3
20209243084O3
20219243092O3
20229242090O3
2023worst92548180PM2.5
20249246093O3
202592491149PM2.5

What summer air means in Erie

A typical summer day in Erie sits in the Good range (median AQI 44), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; about 1 day in 71 of summer days (1.4%) reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.

Summer's median AQI of 44 is above Erie's whole-year median of 38, 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 Erie runs in line with the national Summer norm; 1.4% of its Summer days topped AQI 100 versus 3.6% nationally (below average).

Within the season, August is the cleanest month (median AQI 40, 0.5% of days above 100) and June the worst (median 44, 3.4% above 100).

Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.

Right now in Erie

The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Erie's AQI at 40 (PM2.5). The figures above are multi-year season statistics, not today's reading.

View current Erie air quality →

Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Erie, PA), 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.