Virginia Beach Air Quality in January
Across 2019–2025, Virginia Beach's January air quality had a median AQI of 33 (Good) over 217 monitored days in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC area. 0.0% of January days (0 of 217) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 88.5% of days. The cleanest January on record here was 2019 (median AQI 27, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2023 (median 40, 0 days above 100, peak AQI 63).
- Good: 82.5%
- Moderate: 17.5%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.0%
- Unhealthy or worse: 0.0%
Reduce Indoor Ozone in Virginia Beach
Today's main pollutant in Virginia Beach is ground-level ozone (AQI 31). 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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How is the air in Virginia Beach in January?
Good on a typical day: median AQI 33 across 2019–2025, with 0.0% of January days above AQI 100. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the main driver.
- ✓82.5% of January days were Good (AQI 0–50), 17.5% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓0 days of 217 reached AQI 101+; the January peak was 64.
- ✓Best January: 2019; worst January: 2023.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in Virginia Beach in January?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Virginia Beach in January was 33 (Good). 82.5% of days were Good, 17.5% Moderate, and 0.0% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 217 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.
Is January a good time for outdoor exercise in Virginia Beach?▾
A typical January day in Virginia Beach sits in the Good range (median AQI 33), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of January days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Which pollutant causes Virginia Beach's January air quality problems?▾
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 88.5% of January days in Virginia Beach. The highest January AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 64 (Moderate), in 2023.
Virginia Beach January air quality, year by year
Virginia Beach January air quality by year (Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC, EPA AQS daily AQI)
| Year | Days monitored | Median AQI | Days above 100 | Peak AQI | Main pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019cleanest | 31 | 27 | 0 | 56 | PM2.5 |
| 2020 | 31 | 29 | 0 | 49 | PM2.5 |
| 2021 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 63 | PM2.5 |
| 2022 | 31 | 38 | 0 | 59 | PM2.5 |
| 2023worst | 31 | 40 | 0 | 63 | PM2.5 |
| 2024 | 31 | 30 | 0 | 56 | PM2.5 |
| 2025 | 31 | 36 | 0 | 64 | PM2.5 |
What January air means in Virginia Beach
A typical January day in Virginia Beach sits in the Good range (median AQI 33), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of January days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
January's median AQI of 33 is below Virginia Beach's whole-year median of 42, making it one of the area's cleaner periods. Nationally, the median January AQI across every EPA metro area (95,602 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 39, so Virginia Beach runs below the national January norm; 0.0% of its January days topped AQI 100 versus 0.7% nationally (about the same).
January is part of Virginia Beach's winter season (December, January, February); the winter page pools all three months.
Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.
Right now in Virginia Beach
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Virginia Beach's AQI at 31 (O3). The figures above are multi-year month statistics, not today's reading.
View current Virginia Beach air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC), 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.