Virginia Beach Air Quality in Summer
Across 2019–2025, Virginia Beach's summer (June–August) air quality had a median AQI of 46 (Good) over 644 monitored days in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC area. 0.8% of summer days (5 of 644) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 53.4% of days. The cleanest summer on record here was 2020 (median AQI 45, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2023 (median 52, 3 days above 100, peak AQI 174).
- Good: 60.7%
- Moderate: 38.5%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.6%
- Unhealthy or worse: 0.2%
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.
Recommended: Levoit Core 300 — True HEPA + activated carbon · CADR ~141 CFM · rooms up to 219 sq ft
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How is the air in Virginia Beach in summer?
Good on a typical day: median AQI 46 across 2019–2025, with 0.8% of summer days above AQI 100. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the main driver.
- ✓60.7% of summer days were Good (AQI 0–50), 38.5% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓5 days of 644 reached AQI 101+; the summer peak was 174.
- ✓Cleanest month: August; worst month: June.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in Virginia Beach in summer?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Virginia Beach in summer was 46 (Good). 60.7% of days were Good, 38.5% Moderate, and 0.8% 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 Virginia Beach?▾
A typical summer day in Virginia Beach sits in the Good range (median AQI 46), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of summer days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Which pollutant causes Virginia Beach's summer air quality problems?▾
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 53.4% of summer days in Virginia Beach. The highest summer AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 174 (Unhealthy), in 2023.
Virginia Beach summer air quality, year by year
Virginia Beach summer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 92 | 46 | 0 | 97 | O3 |
| 2020cleanest | 92 | 45 | 0 | 68 | PM2.5 |
| 2021 | 92 | 48 | 0 | 95 | PM2.5 |
| 2022 | 92 | 45 | 1 | 115 | O3 |
| 2023worst | 92 | 52 | 3 | 174 | PM2.5 |
| 2024 | 92 | 47 | 0 | 90 | O3 |
| 2025 | 92 | 43 | 1 | 105 | PM2.5 |
What summer air means in Virginia Beach
A typical summer day in Virginia Beach sits in the Good range (median AQI 46), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of summer days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Summer's median AQI of 46 is above Virginia Beach's whole-year median of 42, 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 Virginia Beach runs in line with the national Summer norm; 0.8% of its Summer days topped AQI 100 versus 3.6% nationally (below average).
Within the season, August is the cleanest month (median AQI 44, 0.0% of days above 100) and June the worst (median 47, 2.4% above 100).
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 season 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.