Texas · AirNow reporting area

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX air quality

The Air Quality Index in Houston-Galveston-Brazoria is 46 (Good) as of 5:00 AM CDT on Wed, Oct 28, with Fine particles (PM2.5) as the main pollutant. Today's forecast: Moderate (Ozone). Tomorrow: Moderate (Ozone). Preliminary data from the EPA AirNow program, reported by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Updated Oct 28, 2026, 6:12 AM EDT (snapshot)

Current AQI

AQI now

46Good

5:00 AM CDT, Wed, Oct 28

By pollutant

  • PM2.5: 46Good
  • Ozone: 35Good
  • PM10: 17Good

Yesterday's highest AQI

61Moderate

PM2.5, Tue, Oct 27

What this AQI means for your health

Good (AQI 0–50). Air pollution is low and is not expected to affect health. A good day to be active outside.

These are general guidelines based on EPA's AQI categories, written in our own words. See the full AQI scale.

Air quality forecast

Daily AQI forecast issued by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Some areas forecast a category without a number.

AQI forecast for Houston-Galveston-Brazoria
DayForecastPollutants
Today, Wed, Oct 28ModerateOzone Moderate · PM2.5 Good · PM10 Good
Tomorrow, Thu, Oct 29ModerateOzone Moderate · PM2.5 Good · PM10 Good
Fri, Oct 30GoodOzone Good · PM2.5 Good · PM10 Good

Monitor readings

Latest hourly NowCast AQI at 11 monitors assigned to or near this area. NowCast weighs recent hours more heavily so it reacts faster to changes. Distance is from the area's center point.

Monitors for Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (hour starting, local time)
MonitorHourPM2.5 AQIOzone AQIPM10 AQIPM2.5 µg/m³Miles
Houston Finnigan Park C10994 AM37—145.22
Houston Harvard Street4 AM—9——3
Houston Pleasantville Elementary C10564 AM43———5
Houston North Loop C10524 AM56———5
Houston Park Place C4164 AM—16——6
Clinton C4034 AM2412123.96
Houston North Wayside C4054 AM550——7
Houston East C14 AM476——8
Houston Bayland Park C53/C146/C1814 AM3112——10
Houston Monroe C4064 AM—13——10
Lang C4084 AM—0——10

Last 12 hours

Highest hourly NowCast AQI among the monitors above, for each hour (CDT).

Hourly AQI, highest monitor
Hour startingPM2.5 AQIOzone AQIPM10 AQIMonitors
4 AM56161411
3 AM56181711
2 AM56201911
1 AM57192011
12 AM59192111
11 PM61192211
10 PM61202311
9 PM63192511
8 PM64192411
7 PM64192411
6 PM64192511
5 PM64222611

Hourly monitor values from AirNow HourlyAQObs files, latest hour Oct 28, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT. Single-hour readings can be missing or revised.

Protecting yourself on bad air days

When the AQI is high, spend less time being active outdoors, keep windows closed if the outdoor air is worse than indoors, and run a portable HEPA air cleaner or your central system with a high-efficiency filter (MERV 13 or higher if your system can handle it). When fine particles or smoke are the problem, a well-fitted N95 respirator gives much better protection than a cloth or surgical mask. Read more on our wildfire smoke page.

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Sources

  • Current AQI, yesterday's maximum and forecasts: U.S. EPA AirNow reporting area file (files.airnowtech.org), as of Oct 28, 2026, 6:12 AM EDT.
  • Monitor readings: AirNow HourlyAQObs files (hourly NowCast AQI and raw concentrations).
  • Reporting agencies: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. These agencies own the data and are the authority for forecasts and advisories.
  • Values are shown as received from AirNow. See AirNow partners for the full list of agencies.

Preliminary data. AirNow readings and forecasts come from federal, state, local and tribal air quality agencies. They are not fully verified, may change, and must not be used for regulatory or official decisions; official data are in EPA's Air Quality System. For the latest official readings and advisories, check AirNow.gov and your state or local air agency.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have symptoms or a health condition, follow your doctor's guidance.

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