Bellingham, Washington Air Quality
Bellingham air quality today — the AQI, the main pollutant, and whether it’s safe to exercise outside right now
Bellingham, WA · Air quality right now
The air quality index in Bellingham, WA is 63 (Moderate) right now — acceptable for most people.
Is it safe to be outside in Bellingham today?
AQI 63 Yes — air quality is Moderate
Fine for most; unusually sensitive people can take it easy.Main pollutant: PM2.5Observed 7:00 AM PDT
Pollutants right now
- PM2.517 µg/m³Main pollutantfine particles — smoke, exhaust, soot
- PM1017 µg/m³coarse particles — dust, pollen, ash
- Ozone31 µg/m³smog — builds on hot, sunny days
- NO₂23 µg/m³nitrogen dioxide — traffic, combustion
ExerciseOK to run for most; sensitive athletes can ease the intensity.
How to read Bellingham’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 Bellingham
Across the EPA’s county records from 2020 to 2025, Bellingham’s cleanest year was 2020 (median AQI 24) and its most polluted was 2024 (median AQI 33); the typical (median) day has trended more polluted since 2020.
| Year | Median AQI | Unhealthy+ | Main pollutant | USG | Moderate | Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 24 | 7 | PM2.5 | 2 | 16 | 341 |
| 2021 | 28 | 0 | PM2.5 | 2 | 7 | 323 |
| 2022 | 32 | 6 | Ozone | 3 | 40 | 294 |
| 2023 | 31 | 0 | PM2.5 | 0 | 33 | 327 |
| 2024 | 33 | 0 | PM2.5 | 0 | 26 | 335 |
| 2025 | 31 | 1 | PM2.5 | 0 | 21 | 342 |
“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 Bellingham?
- In the EPA's 2020–2025 county records, 2022 had the most days above AQI 100: 9 days (3 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 6 Unhealthy or worse). The highest median AQI came in 2024 (33; 2022's was 32).
- How many unhealthy air days does Bellingham have?
- Across 2020–2025, under 1% of the days reported for Bellingham's county had an AQI above 100 (21 of 2126), about 4 days a year. 2025 had 1 day.
- What's the main air pollutant in Bellingham?
- PM2.5 drove Bellingham's county AQI on the most days in 5 of 6 years (2020–2025); Ozone in 2022.