DEQ works with local, state and federal partners to monitor and evaluate air quality. DEQ maintains 36 monitoring sites located across the Commonwealth in order to measure a variety of pollutants, including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate pollution as well as other toxic pollutants. 

DEQ issues air quality forecasts using a variety of tools to estimate how pollution travels on the air. These include weather models, satellite images, air monitoring data and computer models.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a national index for reporting forecasted and daily air quality. It illustrates how clean or polluted the air is and highlights associated health concerns. Focusing on health effects that can occur within hours or days after breathing polluted air, AQI is divided into several color-coded categories, which correspond to different levels of health concerns. 

AQI information and forecasts by region can be found on the DEQ air quality data page, as well as  AirNow.gov. DEQ typically issues air quality forecasts daily and health alerts when the estimated AQI indicates unhealthy conditions.

 Click to subscribe  to received daily Air Quality Forecasts and Health Alerts by email. Those in the Washington, D.C., metro area can sign up on Enviroflash.