Providence Best & Worst AQI Days: Air Quality Guide
The worst air quality day on record for Providence (Providence-Warwick, RI-MA area) was July 4, 2025, when the daily AQI reached 196 (Unhealthy), set by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season. Across 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025, 3 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; 7 of the 10 were driven by ground-level ozone and 3 by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and 3 of them fell in 2023. The cleanest day was June 4, 2023 at AQI 22 (Good); the 10 best days span 5 different years.
Improve Indoor Air Quality
Even with good outdoor air in Providence, indoor PM2.5, dust and allergens build up. A True-HEPA purifier keeps a bedroom or office consistently clean.
Recommended: Levoit Core 400S — True HEPA · CADR ~141 CFM · rooms up to 219 sq ft
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
When were Providence's worst and best air quality days?
Worst: July 4, 2025, AQI 196 (Unhealthy, PM2.5). Best: June 4, 2023, AQI 22 (Good). Based on 2,557 EPA-monitored days in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA area, 2019–2025.
- ✓3 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; the 10th-worst was AQI 137 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
- ✓Ground-level ozone drove 7 of the 10 worst days.
- ✓2023 accounts for 3 of the 10 worst days.
Frequently asked questions
What was the worst air quality day in Providence?▾
July 4, 2025: the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA area's daily AQI hit 196 (Unhealthy), driven by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season. That is the highest of 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025.
What was the best air quality day in Providence?▾
June 4, 2023, with a daily AQI of 22 (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 Providence's worst air quality day in 2025?▾
July 4, 2025, AQI 196 (Unhealthy), set by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season.
Which pollutant causes Providence's worst air days?▾
Ground-level ozone set the AQI on 7 of the 10 worst days; fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on 3. The tables above list the defining pollutant for every day.
Providence's 10 worst air quality days, 2019–2025
Highest daily AQI recorded for the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA area (EPA AQS). The daily AQI is the highest reading from any monitor in the area that day.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2025 page) | 196 | Unhealthy | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 2 | (2022 page) | 164 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 3 | (2020 page) | 154 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 4 | (2022 page) | 150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 5 | (2024 page) | 147 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 6 | (2021 page) | 147 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 7 | (2023 page) | 140 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 8 | (2021 page) | 140 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 9 | (2023 page) | 137 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 10 | (2023 page) | 137 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
Worst day of each year in Providence
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 | 126 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2020 | 154 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2021 | 147 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2022 | 164 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2023 | 140 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2024 | 147 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2025 | 196 | Unhealthy | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
Providence's 10 best air quality days, 2019–2025
Lowest daily AQI recorded for the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA area. Ties are listed most recent first.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2023 page) | 22 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 2 | (2024 page) | 23 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 3 | (2023 page) | 23 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 4 | (2023 page) | 23 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 5 | (2022 page) | 23 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 6 | (2021 page) | 23 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 7 | (2025 page) | 24 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 8 | (2023 page) | 24 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 9 | (2022 page) | 24 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 10 | (2021 page) | 24 | Good | NO2 — nitrogen dioxide |
Right now in Providence
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Providence's AQI at 43 (PM2.5). The days above are historical records, not today's reading.
View current Providence air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Providence-Warwick, RI-MA), 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.