Amarillo Air Quality in Winter

Across 2019–2025, Amarillo's winter (December–February) air quality had a median AQI of 35 (Good) over 632 monitored days in the Amarillo, TX area. 0.3% of winter days (2 of 632) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 85.4% of days. The cleanest winter on record here was 2025 (median AQI 32, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2023 (median 37, 1 day above 100, peak AQI 102).

35
Median AQI
Good
0.3%
Days above AQI 100
2 of 632 days
43
90th percentile AQI
worst 1 day in 10
138
Peak AQI
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
O3
Main pollutant
85.4% of days
96.0%
Good days
607 of 632
  • Good: 96.0%
  • Moderate: 3.6%
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.3%
  • Unhealthy or worse: 0.0%

Reduce Indoor Ozone in Amarillo

Today's main pollutant in Amarillo is ground-level ozone (AQI 40). 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.

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QUICK ANSWER

How is the air in Amarillo in winter?

Good on a typical day: median AQI 35 across 2019–2025, with 0.3% of winter days above AQI 100. Ground-level ozone is the main driver.

  • 96.0% of winter days were Good (AQI 0–50), 3.6% Moderate (51–100).
  • 2 days of 632 reached AQI 101+; the winter peak was 138.
  • Cleanest month: December; worst month: February.

Frequently asked questions

What is the air quality like in Amarillo in winter?

Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Amarillo in winter was 35 (Good). 96.0% of days were Good, 3.6% Moderate, and 0.3% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 632 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.

Is winter a good time for outdoor exercise in Amarillo?

A typical winter day in Amarillo sits in the Good range (median AQI 35), 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 Amarillo's winter air quality problems?

Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 85.4% of winter days in Amarillo. The highest winter AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 138 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), in 2023.

Amarillo winter air quality, year by year

Amarillo winter air quality by year (Amarillo, TX, EPA AQS daily AQI)

YearDays monitoredMedian AQIDays above 100Peak AQIMain pollutant
20199035058O3
20209135057O3
20219038063O3
20229037056O3
2023worst90371102O3
202491331138O3
2025cleanest9032052O3

What winter air means in Amarillo

A typical winter day in Amarillo sits in the Good range (median AQI 35), 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 35 is below Amarillo'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 Amarillo runs below the national Winter norm; 0.3% of its Winter days topped AQI 100 versus 0.6% nationally (about the same).

Within the season, December is the cleanest month (median AQI 34, 0.0% of days above 100) and February the worst (median 38, 1.0% above 100).

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

Right now in Amarillo

The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Amarillo's AQI at 40 (O3). The figures above are multi-year season statistics, not today's reading.

View current Amarillo air quality →

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