Visalia, California Air Quality
Visalia air quality today — the AQI, the main pollutant, and whether it’s safe to exercise outside right now
Visalia, CA · Air quality right now
The air quality index in Visalia, CA is 67 (Moderate) right now — acceptable for most people.
Is it safe to be outside in Visalia today?
AQI 67 Yes — air quality is Moderate
Fine for most; unusually sensitive people can take it easy.Main pollutant: PM2.5Observed 8:00 AM PDT
Pollutants right now
- PM2.514 µg/m³Main pollutantfine particles — smoke, exhaust, soot
- PM1026 µg/m³coarse particles — dust, pollen, ash
- Ozone38 µg/m³smog — builds on hot, sunny days
- NO₂22 µg/m³nitrogen dioxide — traffic, combustion
ExerciseOK to run for most; sensitive athletes can ease the intensity.
How to read Visalia’s air quality
Guides: The AQI Scale, Explained · Air Quality Alerts, Decoded · How to Read a Wildfire Smoke Map · Why Wildfire Smoke Travels 1,000 Miles.
Air quality over time in Visalia
Across the EPA’s county records from 2020 to 2025, Visalia’s cleanest year was 2025 (median AQI 64) and its most polluted was 2021 (median AQI 81); the typical (median) day has trended cleaner since 2020.
| Year | Median AQI | Unhealthy+ | Main pollutant | USG | Moderate | Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 80 | 32 | PM2.5 | 103 | 179 | 52 |
| 2021 | 81 | 41 | PM2.5 | 93 | 182 | 49 |
| 2022 | 77 | 8 | Ozone | 106 | 193 | 58 |
| 2023 | 69 | 21 | Ozone | 61 | 189 | 94 |
| 2024 | 71 | 28 | Ozone | 83 | 179 | 76 |
| 2025 | 64 | 0 | Ozone | 43 | 234 | 88 |
“USG” is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (AQI 101–150); “Unhealthy+” combines the Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, and Hazardous days. In 2024 the EPA tightened the annual fine-particle (PM2.5) standard to 9 µg/m³ from the previous 12 µg/m³, so counties near the old limit read worse against the new one. Source: EPA AQS annual summaries, 2020–2025.
Frequently asked
- What was the worst year for air quality in Visalia?
- In the EPA's 2020–2025 county records, 2020 had the most days above AQI 100: 135 days (103 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 32 Unhealthy or worse). The highest median AQI came in 2021 (81; 2020's was 80).
- How many unhealthy air days does Visalia have?
- Across 2020–2025, 28% of the days reported for Visalia's county had an AQI above 100 (619 of 2192), about 103 days a year. 2025 had 43 days.
- What's the main air pollutant in Visalia?
- Ozone drove Visalia's county AQI on the most days in 4 of 6 years (2020–2025); PM2.5 in 2020, 2021.