Clovis 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 Clovis Air Today?
What High AQI Means for Your Lungs in Clovis
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 Clovis, CA Now
TL;DR
The live map above shows the current air quality index (AQI) for Clovis, California, and the pollutant behind it. Clovis gets one ozone season in summer and two particle seasons: winter inversion haze and Sierra wildfire smoke. At AQI 100, Filterbuy recommends a MERV 13 filter, the HVAC fan set to On, a portable HEPA cleaner in each occupied room and closed windows. Filters do little against ozone, so on ozone days, timing matters more.
Key Takeaways
In State of the Air 2026, the Fresno metro, which includes Clovis, ranked 5th worst for ozone and 4th for year-round particles, despite record-low annual particle levels.
Valley PM2.5, the fine particles in smoke and haze, usually peaks November to February under winter inversions.
Filterbuy's read: Clovis has two particle seasons a filter handles well and one ozone season it cannot touch.
How to Read the Clovis Live Air Quality Map
The AQI number on the live map above tells you whether to change plans, and the pollutant tells you whether a better filter will help. Our 60-second check:
Note the AQI number and its color.
Look at the pollutant. PM2.5 is particles a filter can capture; ozone (O3) is a gas it will not remove.
Find the matching row in the table below and follow it.
Next door, see the Fresno live AQI map or the statewide California air quality map.
The word ‘Hazardous’ doesn’t mean a bad air day. It means the agencies that built this scale ran out of room to make exceptions for anyone. Once that clicked for me, I stopped treating the AQI number on my phone as background noise and started treating it like a weather alert.
Michelle Wan, Brand Manager and Air Quality Writer at Filterbuy, from our Hazardous AQI guide
What Each Clovis AQI Range Means for Your Day
EPA's index runs from 0 to 500 in six color bands, each with official AirNow health guidance. Filterbuy's action line is AQI 100, the top of Moderate: put in MERV 13, set the fan to On, run a portable HEPA cleaner in each occupied room and close up the house.
Clovis AQI Ranges and What to Do
Categories and health guidance follow EPA AirNow. The action line at 100 is Filterbuy guidance.
Why the Clovis Map Can Disagree with the Sky
The Clovis AQI comes from hourly station readings smoothed by EPA's NowCast method, so a hazy sky with a modest AQI usually means smoke is still aloft.
Monitor spacing. The Valley Air District's Real-time Air Advisory Network (RAAN) runs a Clovis station plus Central, North and Southeast Fresno sites. When the Filterbuy team mapped them, we found the North and Southeast sites measure ozone only, so Clovis and Central Fresno are the ones to watch on smoke days.
Is the Air Safe to Breathe in Clovis Right Now?
It depends on the live map. Above 100, sensitive groups should cut back on long or heavy outdoor exertion, and above 150, everyone should. Sensitive groups include children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with asthma, COPD or heart disease, who should also follow their doctor's advice.
Our timing rule flips with the season: summer ozone builds through the hot afternoon, so run in the morning; winter inversions are strongest overnight, so midafternoon is often clearest.
Where to Check Clovis Forecasts and Burn Days
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (Valley Air District) forecasts air quality for Fresno County, Clovis included. November through February, it also issues daily wood-burning declarations under its Check Before You Burn program, and its Clovis station page posts hourly readings.
Our tip: a no-burn declaration doubles as a PM2.5 forecast, since the District sets it from the air quality forecast. Put in a MERV 13 filter that evening.
In the August 2025 Garnet Fire, its health caution told residents to move indoors to a filtered, air-conditioned space.
What Drives Clovis Air Pollution
Clovis sits on the eastern edge of the San Joaquin Valley, about 6.5 miles northeast of downtown Fresno. The valley is a basin of nearly 25,000 square miles walled in by mountains on three sides, so pollution from traffic, freight, farms and homes has few ways out (Valley Air District PM2.5 Plan).
Ozone (summer). On hot days, nitrogen oxides (NOx) from engines react in sunlight to form ozone.
PM2.5 (winter). Stagnant air from November to February builds ammonium nitrate particles, and the valley "becomes a bowl capped with a lid."
Wildfire smoke (late summer and fall). Sierra fires can fill the valley for days.
Wood smoke and dust. Fireplaces add winter particles; field work kicks up dust (PM10).
Sierra Wildfire Smoke in Clovis: What to Do
The Creek Fire started September 4, 2020, up Highway 168 near Shaver Lake and burned 379,895 acres in Fresno and Madera counties. By September 14, 2020, Valley air was unhealthy for everyone and Fresno Unified had halted outdoor activity.
Follow AirNow and Valley Air District guidance first. Then, at AQI 100 or when smoke is listed, work in this order:
Install a MERV 13 filter, the whole-home layer. The EPA says most furnaces and HVAC systems can use MERV 13 without problems when it is replaced often. Check for a snug fit.
Set the fan to On so the system filters around the clock, as EPA wildfire guidance advises.
Run a portable HEPA cleaner in each occupied room, starting with bedrooms. EPA's clean-room guidance calls for a smoke CADR of at least two-thirds of the floor area, so a 300-square-foot bedroom wants roughly 200. Skip ionizers and ozone generators; EPA advises against cleaners that produce ozone.
Close the house up. Shut windows and doors, set any fresh-air intake to recirculate, and skip candles, frying and smoking indoors.
On a Hazardous air day, most people set one of the two settings that matter and stop there. They close the fresh-air intake, then leave the fan on Auto, so the filter only ever sees air when the system happens to be cooling. Both have to move: intake closed, fan switched to On.
David Clark, Licensed HVAC Technician, Filterbuy HVAC Solutions, from our Hazardous AQI guide
Check the filter during smoke and replace it when it turns dark brown or black, which can be well before its normal interval. Keep spares, and wear an N95 outdoors. Filterbuy's best MERV filter for wildfire smoke guide and cleanup steps after a smoke event cover the rest.
No Central Air or a Swamp Cooler? Smoke Steps for Clovis Homes
Without ducts there is no filter slot, so a portable HEPA cleaner is the primary defense. The Valley Air District recommends a clean air room: one closed room, kept cool and filtered. A DIY box-fan cleaner with a MERV 13 filter is a fair stopgap, not a replacement for a certified cleaner; EPA says to use a 2012-or-newer fan with a UL or ETL mark and never leave it unattended.
Swamp coolers pull outdoor air inside, so EPA advises running them sparingly in smoke or covering their intakes with MERV 13 filters.
Filterbuy's Take on the Clovis Air Year
When we laid the Valley Air District's winter PM2.5 pattern next to the State of the Air ozone rankings, Clovis split into three seasons: two particle seasons a filter handles well and one ozone season it cannot touch. In Clovis, the right response depends on the month as much as the reading.
So we treat filters as a seasonal tool, with AQI 100 as the action line.
The Clovis Air Calendar
Filterbuy analysis of Valley Air District seasonal patterns.
Our July Checklist Before Clovis Fire Season
Read the size on your filter frame and order two of Filterbuy's American-made MERV 13 air filters. Custom air filters fit odd-sized returns.
Measure each bedroom and write down the CADR it needs.
Choose your clean air room and keep N95s on hand.
Find your fan switch and fresh-air intake now, not mid-smoke.
Which Filter Each Clovis AQI Level Calls For
For smoke, the answer is MERV 13. Filterbuy's table follows the pollutant rather than the number alone. MERV 8 or MERV 11 handles everyday Clovis dust and pollen. At AQI 100, or whenever the map lists smoke or PM2.5, step up to MERV 13. EPA recommends MERV 13 or higher during smoke events. HEPA belongs in portable cleaners, not in home HVAC systems.
Filter Choice by Clovis AQI Reading
Filterbuy guidance.
Supporting Statistics
54.5 unhealthy ozone days a year
The Fresno metro ranks 5th worst for ozone.
Takeaway: Time outdoor hours around ozone.
12% less PM2.5 after burn limits
Valley PM2.5 fell 12% once Check Before You Burn took full effect in 2003.
Cardiovascular hospital admissions in adults 65+ fell 7%.
Source: California Air Resources Board
Takeaway: Check the daily burn status.
379,895 acres burned
The 2020 Creek Fire destroyed 856 structures in Fresno and Madera counties.
Source: CAL FIRE
Takeaway: Stock MERV 13 before fire season.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Air Quality in Clovis Today?
The live map at the top of this page shows the current Clovis AQI and its main pollutant.
Is the Air Quality Bad in Clovis Today?
Check the live reading. Above 100 is unhealthy for sensitive groups; above 150, for everyone.
What Does Clovis PM2.5 Today Tell Me?
When the map lists PM2.5, fine particles are driving the AQI, usually from winter inversion haze or wildfire smoke. MERV 13 and a portable HEPA cleaner both cut it indoors.
Where Can I See a Clovis Air Quality Map with Wildfire Smoke?
Use this page alongside Filterbuy's Clovis wildfire smoke map or EPA's AirNow Fire and Smoke Map.
Can I Use My Fireplace in Clovis Today?
Between November and February, check the Valley Air District's daily Check Before You Burn declaration for Fresno County first.
Glossary
AQI: EPA's 0 to 500 index with six health categories.
PM2.5: Fine particles 2.5 microns or smaller.
Ozone (O3): A gas formed in sunlight. Filters do not remove it.
MERV: A 1 to 16 rating of HVAC filter particle capture.
HEPA: High-efficiency particulate air filtration for portable cleaners.
CADR: Clean Air Delivery Rate; sizes a portable cleaner.
NowCast: EPA's method for estimating the current-hour AQI.
Inversion: Warm air aloft that traps pollution near the ground.
RAAN: The Valley Air District's real-time monitoring network.