Air Quality Forecast
Air quality forecasts are issued every day of the year for the Birmingham area and are based on the Air Quality Index (AQI). The AQI is a color-coded scale that reports how clean or polluted the air is and the associated health effects.
The Jefferson County Department of Health forecasts fine particles (PM2.5) year-round and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management forecasts Ozone (O3) during the warm season.
An Air Quality Alert is issued when the AQI is forecast to reach 101 or higher. The public is encouraged to decrease their personal emissions on days with higher pollution levels.
Friday: Hurricane Isaias in the Gulf will make landfall somewhere near the AL/FL border on the coastline during the evening. Clouds from Isaias will blanket the area all day long with rain not arriving until the evening and overnight hours. Winds will be easterly at 5-10 mph during the first half of the day and will increase to 10-20 mph with gusts to 30 mph during the second half of the day. PM2.5 is expected to be in the yellow range and Ozone is expected to be in the green range.
Saturday-Monday: Hurricane Isaias will move northward through Alabama over the course of Saturday and will end the day near the AL/TN border. There will be a good amount of rain, especially before dawn. Winds will be strong and gusty early in the day and will slowly subside as the day progresses. As the remnants of Isaias moves further away from the area on Sunday, cloud cover will be begin to decrease. Upper level ridging and surface high pressure will build into the area by Monday to clear the skies. PM2.5 and Ozone are both expected to be in the green range of the AQI through Monday.
October 08, 2026
|
Ozone |
|
|
64 |
|
|
MODERATE |
|
Pollutant AQI Value
|
6 |
|
|
36 |
|
|
64 |
|
|
64 |
|
39 |
|
|
14 |
|
Air quality forecasts are also available via
JCDH Air Quality on