Montgomery Real-Time AQI Tracker
Get Alerts For Unhealthy AQI In Your Area
When air quality in your area reaches unhealthy levels, we'll send you a quick alert, along with expert tips on how to reduce your exposure.
What's Actually In Montgomery Air Today?
What High AQI Means for Your Lungs in Montgomery
How to Read AQI
The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures how polluted the air is and how it may affect your health.
0–50 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory.
51–100 (Moderate): Acceptable, but some pollutants may pose minor concerns.
101–150 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)
151–200 (Unhealthy)
201–300 (Very Unhealthy)
301+ (Hazardous)
Moderate
Still okay for most, but if you have asthma or allergies, take it easy and avoid long outdoor workouts.
Shop MERV 11 filters→What's the Right Filter for Your AQI Level?
Check Today's Live Real Time Air Quality Index AQI Map in Montgomery, AL Now
TL;DR
Filterbuy’s live map above shows Montgomery’s current Air Quality Index (AQI), drawn from EPA-monitored stations reported through AirNow. Montgomery’s number is set by summer ozone and PM2.5, the tiny particles in smoke and exhaust, and the biggest particle spikes usually come from prescribed burns and wildfires in Alabama’s forests. Filterbuy’s action line is AQI 100: put a MERV 13 filter in your HVAC, set the thermostat fan to On, run a portable HEPA air cleaner in each occupied room, and close up the house.
Key Takeaways
Only ozone and PM2.5 are monitored continuously in Montgomery, with one ADEM station on Coliseum Boulevard covering PM2.5 for the whole metro (ADEM 2026 Network Plan).
Montgomery’s 2023–2025 annual PM2.5 design value is 8.5 µg/m³, close to the 9.0 µg/m³ federal standard.
Smoke from Alabama’s prescribed-burn and spring wildfire season is the most likely cause of a sudden particle spike.
The EPA recommends a filter rated MERV 13 or higher in a central HVAC system during smoke events.
How to Read Montgomery’s Live AQI Map Right Now
Green (0–50) and yellow (51–100) mean normal plans for nearly everyone. Orange (101–150) means sensitive groups should ease off hard outdoor activity, and red or higher means everyone should cut back. The map also names the pollutant behind the reading. Ozone builds on hot afternoons, so move a run to early morning. PM2.5 can linger day and night, so close the windows and let your filter work.
Montgomery AQI Colors Decoded: What Each Range Asks of You
Filterbuy’s action line is AQI 100. At 100 and above, put a MERV 13 filter in your HVAC, set the thermostat fan to On, run a portable HEPA air cleaner in each occupied room with bedrooms first, and close up the house. AQI 100 is still the top of the Moderate range; it’s simply where Filterbuy tells households to move. The categories below come from EPA AirNow.
Categories per EPA AirNow. The AQI 100 action line is Filterbuy's recommendation.
When the Map and the Sky Disagree: Why Montgomery’s Reading Can Lag
If you smell smoke but the map shows yellow, nothing is broken. The EPA reports current AQI as a NowCast, a weighted average of recent hours, so a new plume takes time to register. When the Filterbuy team modeled a smoke event for its NowCast AQI explainer, the reading ran 42 points low as smoke arrived and 79 points high as it cleared. Trust your senses, then check the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map, which adds sensor readings between monitors.
Is It Safe to Breathe Outside in Montgomery Today?
It depends on the live reading. Below 51, the air is good for everyone. AirNow’s guidance above 100 is that people with asthma, COPD, or heart disease, children, pregnant people, and adults over 65 limit strenuous time outdoors; above 150, everyone cuts back. Ozone peaks on hot summer afternoons, so exercise before 10 a.m. Anyone with a lung or heart condition should follow their doctor’s plan and official AirNow guidance.
Checking Montgomery’s Air Before You Head Out: Forecasts and Alert Tools
ADEM reports Montgomery’s AQI but doesn’t post a city forecast. Its air quality page links forecasts for Birmingham, Huntsville/Decatur, Mobile, and Columbus/Phenix City instead. Fill the gap with Filterbuy’s AQI alerts above, the EPA’s free EnviroFlash emails, and the Alabama Forestry Commission’s wildfire map.
One Monitor, a Whole Metro: Montgomery Air Quality by Neighborhood and ZIP Code
ADEM’s monitor at 1350 Coliseum Boulevard (36110) is the only continuous PM2.5 station for Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, and Montgomery counties, home to about 388,747 people. Conditions near the I-65 and I-85 interchange downtown (36104), Montgomery Regional Airport (36108), or the Prattville mill (36067) can differ from that one reading. Add your ZIP code to the alert sign-up above, and check the Fire and Smoke Map for nearby sensors.
Ozone, PM2.5, and What Else Shapes Montgomery’s Air
Whichever of ozone or PM2.5 scores higher sets the number on the map. Montgomery’s ozone design value is 0.061 ppm against a 0.070 ppm standard, and its annual PM2.5 value sits at 94% of the federal limit. Ozone is a gas that pleated filters don’t capture, so closed windows do most of the work. PM2.5 drifts indoors and stays suspended, which is where your MERV rating matters. Pollen isn’t part of the AQI at all.
Montgomery vs. Other Alabama Metros: How Clean Is the Air, Really?
The American Lung Association’s 2026 report placed Montgomery-Selma among the nation’s cleanest metros for particle pollution (WVTM 13). Those grades count unhealthy days. ADEM’s design values measure the everyday level, and there Montgomery runs higher than Mobile, Decatur, or Tuscaloosa.
Source: ADEM 2026 Ambient Air Monitoring Network Plan. Standards: 9.0 µg/m³ annual PM2.5; 0.070 ppm ozone.
Compare live conditions statewide on Filterbuy’s Alabama air quality map.
Smoke from Alabama Forests: Prescribed Burns and Wildfires Around Montgomery
When particle readings jump, smoke from nearby burns or wildfires is the usual reason. In April 2026, the Alabama Forestry Commission issued a statewide Fire Alert after 387 wildfires in 30 days (AFC).
When smoke moves in, check AirNow and follow ADEM or local emergency officials first, including any advice to stay in, relocate, or evacuate. At AQI 100, Filterbuy’s action line, take these four steps:
Put a MERV 13 filter in your HVAC. This is the whole-home layer. The EPA recommends MERV 13 or higher during smoke events and notes that most systems can use it without equipment problems when the filter is replaced often (EPA).
Set the thermostat fan to On. Auto only filters while the system heats or cools (EPA).
Run a portable HEPA air cleaner in each occupied room, bedrooms first. EPA’s sizing rule is a smoke CADR of at least two-thirds of the room’s square footage, so about 200 for a 300-square-foot bedroom. Skip models that produce ozone.
Close up the house. Shut windows and doors, recirculate, and skip candles, frying, smoking, and vacuuming without a HEPA vacuum.
During smoke, replace the filter when it looks dark brown or black, which can be sooner than usual, and keep spares on hand. Smoke odor is a gas that pleated filters don’t capture; see the Odor Eliminator line for odors. HEPA belongs in portable cleaners, never a furnace slot (MERV 13 vs. HEPA).
Window Units, Mini-Splits, and No Ducts: Smoke Steps for a Montgomery Home Without Central Air
About 20% of Alabama households cool with individual units such as window units or mini-splits (EIA). Without ducts, portable HEPA air cleaners in each occupied room are the primary defense, not a backup. Close a window unit’s outdoor-air damper during smoke. If you can’t get a portable cleaner, an EPA-tested DIY box-fan cleaner with a MERV 13 filter is a reasonable stopgap; use a UL- or ETL-certified fan from 2012 or newer. If the house gets too hot with the windows closed, go somewhere cooler, and call 2-1-1 for cooling stations.
Our Take: What an Alabama Filter Maker Reads in Montgomery’s Numbers
Filterbuy has made air filters since 2013 and is headquartered in Talladega, a short drive north. One station speaks for about 389,000 people. The grades are clean, but the everyday particle level sits near the limit. And smoke season starts in late winter, so the best time to switch to MERV 13 is before burn season.
We’ve manufactured air filters for more than a decade and shipped them to more than two million households. The pattern holds wherever smoke shows up: filters that come back from a smoke event are darker and heavier than filters from a clean-air month. In Montgomery that event usually arrives in late winter and spring, so the filter in your system on a hazy March morning is the one you installed in January.
Filterbuy Indoor Air Quality Team
Matching Your HVAC Filter to Montgomery’s AQI
Smoke maps to MERV 13, and AQI 100 is where Filterbuy tells you to switch. Filterbuy’s MERV 13 carries its ladder claim, “Captures 98% of Airborne Particles.” It’s also the tier Filterbuy recommends for smoke. Outside smoke season, Filterbuy recommends replacing filters every 90 days, and auto-delivery keeps the next one on the shelf.
Filterbuy's tier guidance. Confirm your size like any filter order.
Supporting Statistics for Montgomery Households
Most exposure happens indoors. Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors, where some pollutants run 2 to 5 times higher than outdoors (EPA).
Most local homes have a whole-home layer. 81% of Alabama households use central AC or a central heat pump (EIA).
Many families are in the sensitive groups. About 350,749 Alabama adults (8.8%) and 89,802 children (8.2%) have current asthma (CDC).
Montgomery Air Quality FAQs
What Is the Air Quality in Montgomery Today?
Filterbuy’s live map at the top of this page shows it. Green (0–50) is Good, yellow (51–100) is Moderate, and orange (101–150) means sensitive groups should ease off outdoors.
Is the Air Quality Bad in Montgomery Today?
It’s unhealthy for sensitive groups above 100 and for everyone above 150. Bad particle days are rare here, and the usual causes are hot ozone afternoons and smoke from burns or wildfires. Filterbuy’s four home steps start at AQI 100.
Why Does Montgomery Smell Smoky When the AQI Looks Fine?
The AQI uses a NowCast that trails fast-moving smoke, and Montgomery’s single PM2.5 monitor can miss narrow plumes. Trust your senses, close the windows, and check the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map.
When Is Smoke Season in Montgomery?
Usually late winter into spring, when prescribed burning and spring wildfires peak across Alabama. Dry autumn spells can bring a smaller second window. Filterbuy recommends putting in a MERV 13 by January.
What MERV Rating Do I Need for Wildfire Smoke in Montgomery?
MERV 13. Pair it with the thermostat fan on On, a portable HEPA air cleaner in each occupied room, and a closed-up house. Replace the filter when it looks dark brown or black.
Glossary
AQI (Air Quality Index): The EPA’s 0-to-500 air pollution scale, from Good (0–50) to Hazardous (301+).
PM2.5: Fine particles 2.5 micrometers or smaller, from smoke, vehicles, and industry.
NowCast: The EPA method behind current AQI readings, weighted toward recent hours.
Design value: The multi-year concentration the EPA uses to judge whether an area meets a standard.
MERV: The rating for how well an HVAC filter captures particles.
HEPA: A filter standard used in portable air cleaners, not in home furnace slots.
Action line (Filterbuy): AQI 100, where Filterbuy recommends its four home steps.