Dallas Best & Worst AQI Days: Air Quality Guide
The worst air quality day on record for Dallas (Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area) was March 14, 2025, when the daily AQI reached 304 (Hazardous), set by coarse dust (PM10). Across 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025, 10 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; 9 of the 10 were driven by ground-level ozone and 1 by coarse dust (PM10), and 5 of them fell in 2024. The cleanest day was October 26, 2020 at AQI 14 (Good); the 10 best days span 5 different years.
Extra Protection for Dallas Homes
Air quality in Dallas is moderate (AQI 55), with fine particles (PM2.5) the main concern. A True-HEPA purifier gives sensitive groups — kids, seniors and anyone with asthma or allergies — cleaner air indoors on days like today.
Recommended: Coway AP-1512HH Mighty — True HEPA + carbon · CADR ~246 CFM · rooms up to 361 sq ft
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When were Dallas's worst and best air quality days?
Worst: March 14, 2025, AQI 304 (Hazardous, PM10). Best: October 26, 2020, AQI 14 (Good). Based on 2,557 EPA-monitored days in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area, 2019–2025.
- ✓10 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; the 10th-worst was AQI 174 (Unhealthy).
- ✓Ground-level ozone drove 9 of the 10 worst days.
- ✓2024 accounts for 5 of the 10 worst days.
Frequently asked questions
What was the worst air quality day in Dallas?▾
March 14, 2025: the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area's daily AQI hit 304 (Hazardous), driven by coarse dust (PM10). That is the highest of 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025.
What was the best air quality day in Dallas?▾
October 26, 2020, with a daily AQI of 14 (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 Dallas's worst air quality day in 2025?▾
March 14, 2025, AQI 304 (Hazardous), set by coarse dust (PM10).
Which pollutant causes Dallas's worst air days?▾
Ground-level ozone set the AQI on 9 of the 10 worst days; coarse dust (PM10) on 1. The tables above list the defining pollutant for every day.
Dallas's 10 worst air quality days, 2019–2025
Highest daily AQI recorded for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 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) | 304 | Hazardous | PM10 — coarse dust (PM10) |
| 2 | (2021 page) | 209 | Very Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 3 | (2024 page) | 203 | Very Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 4 | (2024 page) | 197 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 5 | (2024 page) | 187 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 6 | (2022 page) | 187 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 7 | (2025 page) | 179 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 8 | (2023 page) | 177 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 9 | (2024 page) | 174 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 10 | (2024 page) | 174 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
Worst day of each year in Dallas
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 | 156 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2020 | 159 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2021 | 209 | Very Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2022 | 187 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2023 | 177 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2024 | 203 | Very Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2025 | 304 | Hazardous | PM10 — coarse dust (PM10) |
Dallas's 10 best air quality days, 2019–2025
Lowest daily AQI recorded for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area. Ties are listed most recent first.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2020 page) | 14 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 2 | (2020 page) | 16 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 3 | (2020 page) | 22 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 4 | (2019 page) | 22 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 5 | (2023 page) | 23 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 6 | (2022 page) | 23 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 7 | (2022 page) | 24 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 8 | (2019 page) | 24 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 9 | (2020 page) | 25 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 10 | (2021 page) | 26 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
Right now in Dallas
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Dallas's AQI at 55 (PM2.5). The days above are historical records, not today's reading.
View current Dallas air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, 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.