The quality of our air (that is, how clean or polluted it is) affects how we breathe and live on a daily basis. Living in an area with poor air quality can have serious short-term and long-term health consequences for humans. It can also affect crops and other plants, wildlife, and entire ecosystems. Particulate matter (PM) and ground-level ozone (O3) are the pollutants of greatest concern in the Triad. Read more about the health and environmental effects of ground-level ozone. Click here to learn about the health and environmental effects of PM.

If you are in Forsyth County, you can visit our air quality forecast page and click on “current hourly data”." If you’re anywhere within the state of North Carolina, you can visit the Ambient Information Reporter to view current, past, and forecasted air quality conditions for ozone and particulate matter across the state. From almost anywhere in the United States, you can reference airnow.gov or the AirNow mobile app for current air quality readings.

There are also air sensors that measure concentrations of fine particulates (PM2.5). This map containing real-time data from one of the many brands of air sensors (PurpleAir) that can give a qualitative assessment of local air quality, though not as precise as the data collected and verified by the Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance and Protection’s monitoring network or those of other state, local, tribal, and federal air agencies.

The AQI converts concentrations of air pollutants into a single number that can range anywhere from 0 to 500. The higher the number, the greater the associated level of concern for public health and welfare. For each pollutant that uses the AQI, a value of 100 corresponds to the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To learn which concentrations of the criteria pollutants (nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particle pollution, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide) are associated with certain AQI values or vice versa, you can use the AQI Calculator.

First, check the air quality conditions in your area or subscribe to air quality alerts through Enviroflash. An air quality action alert will be sent if the forecasted air quality is a code orange or higher. A code orange indicates that concentrations of one or more pollutant(s) may be unhealthy for sensitive groups, which includes people with heart and lung disease like asthma, children and teens, older adults, and people who are active outdoors. If the levels of ozone and/or particle pollution are a concern in your area, you can learn what steps to take to protect your health by viewing the Guide for Ozone and the Guide for Particle Pollution.

Ambient air quality monitoring involves the collection of outdoor air samples to measure concentrations of pollutants in the atmosphere. The data collected are used to provide accurate, reliable air quality information to the public, industry, regulators, etc. This is important for evaluating whether a geographical area is meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for each criteria pollutant, as well as assessing air quality trends and the impact of air pollution coming from various sources. Read more on ambient air quality monitoring on EPA’s website.

The criteria air pollutants monitored by the Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance & Protection, in accordance with EPA requirements, are particle pollution or particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and ground-level ozone (O₃). We also measure concentrations of toxic air pollutants (TAPs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). A few examples include benzene, chloroform, toluene, and vinyl chloride. For more information on HAPs and TAPs, visit the Division of Air Quality’s website.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)’s Division of Air Quality, along with local governmental agencies, own and operate the federally certified regulatory monitors that make up North Carolina's ambient (outdoor) air monitoring network. Each monitor has been installed, operated, and maintained according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements. Three North Carolina counties—Forsyth, Buncombe, and Mecklenburg—have local air programs that enforce federal, state and local regulations for protecting air quality. The Eastern Band of Cherokee also performs air quality monitoring for their tribal lands in western North Carolina. The National Park Service also operates several permanent and temporary monitors (mainly for exceptional events) scattered through national parks & forests across the United States. Find more about these local programs here. To view monitors across the state, visit DEQ’s page on monitoring data by site.

Like regulatory air monitors, air sensors measure concentrations of pollutants in the air; however, they are smaller, cheaper, and less accurate. There are no federal standards regulating the quality of the data produced by air sensors, but they are portable and more accessible to the public. To learn more, visit the NC DEQ Division of Air Quality’s page on Air Sensors.

We forecast for the two main pollutants of concern in the Triad and North Carolina: 1) ground-level ozone (O₃) and 2) particle pollution, also called particulate matter (PM).

Forsyth,Guilford, Alamance, Davidson, Randolph, Rockingham, Caswell, Davie, and Stokes counties are included in air quality forecasts produced by the Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance and Protection. Forecasts for all other North Carolina counties are come from the Division of Air Quality.

Forecasts are updated daily around 3:30pm, including weekends and holidays. They include anticipated AQI values for each pollutant (ozone and particulate matter) for the current date and over the next three days. Forecasts help Triad residents protect their health by advising them to plan their strenuous outdoor activities for a time when air quality is healthy for them to be outside.