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Riverside, CA Air Quality Index (AQI) Today

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Right now: Riverside is at 57, moderate.

Is the air safe to breathe in Riverside today?

57 57Moderate “Unhealthy for everyone” starts at 151 — not 201.

Go

Normal outdoor plans. No change needed.

Short & unloaded

A 20-minute dog walk, not a 2.5-hour run. Keep it brief and easy.

Don’t go

Move it indoors. Above 200 that becomes everyone, not just sensitive groups.

Duration and intensity are two separate dials

Verdict by duration and intensity at AQI 57
Under 20 min20–60 minOver an hour
Easy Go Go Go
Moderate Go Go Go
Hard Go Go Go

Where people actually draw the line

All the thresholds people reported, and who reported them
  • 60 Asthmatic runnerone runner’s own 156-run log
  • 75–100 Daycare / schoolWA 75/80, MN 100 — confirmed; most states not studied
  • 100 Parentcommunity-reported, escalating at 150 and 200
  • 110 Runnercommunity-reported

EPA classifies 101–150 as Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. That is an attributed classification, not a verdict on your lungs specifically.

If you’re staying in, filter the room you’re actually in

A portable HEPA unit or a Corsi-Rosenthal box — one builder put theirs at about $130 for a 12×14 bedroom. We don’t default to a MERV-13 swap in whole-house HVAC: it can restrict airflow, and the safe version needs a static-pressure check first.

See options

Dominant pollutant

PM2.5

UV index

— modelled

UV hour by hour in Riverside →

Forecast

— pipeline

Where this number sits

Of the 114 US metros reporting to us right now, Riverside is number 32 and number 3 of the 11 we track in California. The pollutant driving it today is PM2.5.

Nearby metros we also measure, and what they read at the same hour:

Why a metro a short drive away reads differently →

No written guide for Riverside yet — that comes when we have something specific to say about this metro. How we measure →

Where this reading comes from

Metro Riverside CO, about miles from the metro centre, with nearby sensors.

Our history for Riverside so far

Daily maximum, our own readings. 1 day since 2026-08-16; nothing back-filled. Why we keep our own →

0 of the 1 day we have recorded so far went above AQI 100.

Questions about Riverside

What is the air quality in Riverside right now?

AQI 57 — Moderate. That is number 32 of the 114 US metros reporting to us at this hour.

Which monitor does this number come from?

Metro Riverside CO. One instrument reports for the whole metro, so the side farthest from it is the least well described.

How does Riverside compare with metros nearby?

At this hour: Anaheim 35, Long Beach 32, Los Angeles 40, San Diego 46. A gap that size over that distance usually means different terrain, traffic or wind rather than a broken sensor.

Does this include pollen?

No. The AQI covers PM2.5, PM10, ozone, NO₂, SO₂ and CO. A high-pollen day can read clean here and still put someone in bed. UV is also separate — Riverside's UV index.

What the number means, band by band → · Why apps disagree →

Worst air in the US right nowWhere Riverside sits against 27 other metros, this hour What the number meansEPA bands, and where “unhealthy for everyone” starts

Updated