Newport News, Virginia Air Quality
Newport News air quality today — the AQI, the main pollutant, and whether it’s safe to exercise outside right now
Newport News, VA · Air quality right now
The air quality index in Newport News, VA is 51 (Moderate) right now — acceptable for most people.
Is it safe to be outside in Newport News today?
AQI 51 Yes — air quality is Moderate
Fine for most; unusually sensitive people can take it easy.Main pollutant: PM2.5Observed 11:00 AM EDT
Pollutants right now
- PM2.57.1 µg/m³Main pollutantfine particles — smoke, exhaust, soot
- PM107.3 µg/m³coarse particles — dust, pollen, ash
- Ozone103 µg/m³smog — builds on hot, sunny days
- NO₂3.4 µg/m³nitrogen dioxide — traffic, combustion
ExerciseOK to run for most; sensitive athletes can ease the intensity.
Wildfire smoke & fire weather in Newport News
Smoke checkFine-particle (PM2.5) level right now: 7.1 µg/m³ Good on the EPA PM2.5 scale. PM2.5-based; smoke is one possible source — traffic, industry, and dust raise the same number.
Wildfire smoke shows up in air-quality data as fine-particle (PM2.5) pollution — it’s the number that climbs when smoke moves in. A Fire Weather Watch from the National Weather Service means critical fire-weather conditions — dry fuels, low humidity, gusty wind — are possible in the next day or two; a Red Flag Warning means they’re happening or imminent. On smoky days, EPA and AirNow guidance is to limit time outdoors, keep windows closed, run filtration if you have it, and wear an N95 if you must be outside. See where smoke and storms sit right now on the live weather map.
How to read Newport News’s air quality
Air quality is reported as the EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), a 0–500 scale set by whichever pollutant is worst at the moment — where an AQI under 100 is a safe day for outdoor activity in Newport News and above 100 people with asthma, heart conditions, the very young, and older adults should start to scale back.
For the full six-category scale — every band, its color, and the pollutants behind the number — see the AQI scale guide.