Author: Michelle Wan, Brand Manager and Air Quality Writer | Technically Reviewed By: David Clark, Licensed HVAC Technician | Published: August 26, 2026 | Updated: August 26, 2026

Syracuse's air quality index (AQI) comes from NYSDEC monitors in Onondaga County, published to EPA's AirNow network. Use the map below for the current reading in your neighborhood, whether that's Eastwood, the North Side, Westcott or DeWitt.

Filterbuy builds this map for Syracuse specifically, because we've watched what Central New York does after a smoke day. We've made filters in the U.S. since 2013 and shipped to over two million households, and Upstate New York doesn't behave like the markets people assume set the pattern.

What Is the Air Quality Index in Syracuse Right Now?

The AQI runs from 0 to 500 across six categories, and isn't a snapshot of the last five minutes. DEC calculates an 8-hour average for ozone and a 24-hour average for fine particles, which matters on a smoky afternoon, because the air outside can be worse than the posted figure while a plume moves through.

An advisory follows when ozone or fine particles are forecast above AQI 100. Onondaga County sits inside DEC's Central New York region, so an advisory usually covers every county around you, not just the city. DEC warns that weather-app sensors report short-term readings, not averages, so its own network is the one to trust.

Is the Air Quality Bad in Syracuse Today?

Most days, no. The exceptions are sharp and short: a Canadian smoke plume, a hot stagnant July afternoon, construction dust off a work zone. Under 50 is a normal day here, 51 to 100 is worth noting if you have asthma, and past 100 the number should start changing your plans.

How Clean Is Syracuse's Air Compared to the Rest of the U.S.?

The American Lung Association's "State of the Air" 2026, built on EPA data from 2022 to 2024, hands Syracuse–Auburn a mixed report card, with Onondaga County driving all three results.

Source: American Lung Association, State of the Air 2026 New York results. Full metro report card: Syracuse–Auburn, NY.

Together those rows say something more interesting than "good" or "bad." Syracuse ranks among the 20 cleanest metros in the country for annual particle pollution, and still earns a D for its worst days. Ozone barely registers. The problem isn't chronic, it's episodic, which is why a live map beats a yearly summary: the average tells you the air is fine, not about the day it isn't.

Why Syracuse's PM2.5 Spikes Matter More Than Its Average

On June 7, 2023, AirNow monitors in Syracuse measured fine particulate matter above 400 micrograms per cubic meter, the highest on record since routine measurement began in 1999, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. The city's AQI touched 460 that afternoon before easing to 257 by early evening, a swing of 200 points inside four hours.

The source wasn't far away. Those Quebec fires were burning 400 to 500 miles north of Syracuse, close enough that smoke reached the ground here rather than passing overhead the way western Canadian smoke does. Schools across Central New York canceled outdoor activities. Extreme, but not a one-off: Canadian smoke has reached New York every summer since, and in June 2025 it pushed Central New York past AQI 110 again.

Here's what Filterbuy sees in its own order data: Syracuse-area orders don't climb while smoke is overhead. They climb in the days after it clears, once people pull the filter and see what it caught. That lag is the problem, because the filter that would have helped had to already be in the system.

What's Actually in Syracuse's Air?

Four local sources drive most of Onondaga County's AQI swings, and knowing which one is behind today's number tells you how long it will last.

The I-81 work is the local variable no national air quality site accounts for. The Onondaga Environmental Institute runs three PM2.5 monitors at community centers: Wilson Park, Cannon Street and Cecile, feeding a public dashboard with alerts. Within a few blocks of the demolition, your air may not match the citywide number.

What This Map Won't Tell You

The AQI is a good instrument pointed at a narrow target. Two limits are worth knowing before you lean on it, because Syracuse air pollution today may include things this map never counts.

Pollen isn't in it. The AQI covers five Clean Air Act pollutants, and AirNow's map reads only ozone, PM10 and PM2.5. EPA says plainly that its AQI tools don't account for pollen or mold, so a Syracuse morning in May can post a green "Good" while half of Onondaga County is sneezing. If your symptoms are sinus-shaped rather than chest-tight, the AQI is the wrong instrument, and what you have is a MERV 11 question rather than a smoke one.

It only measures outdoors. Nothing generated inside shows up, from cooking to a wood stove to radon, so a green reading tells you nothing about your kitchen.

Filterbuy would rather say so than let a green number read as an all-clear it was never meant to be.

What High AQI Means for Your Lungs in Syracuse

Fine particulate matter is what matters here, and the danger is a function of size: PM2.5 particles slip past the body's defenses and travel deep into the lungs. The American Lung Association links particle pollution to asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes and early death.

DEC's sensitive groups include children and teens, adults 65 and over, people who are pregnant, anyone with asthma, COPD or a heart condition, and anyone working outdoors. If that's you, treat 101 as your line rather than 151.

What to Do When Syracuse's AQI Climbs Above 100

1.   Close the windows and keep them closed. EPA notes indoor PM2.5 then runs at 55–60% of outdoor levels, though older homes seal less effectively, and Syracuse has plenty of those.

2.   Switch the thermostat fan from "Auto" to "On," and set the system to recirculate. A filter only cleans the air the blower actually moves, so closing the fresh-air intake keeps it working on what's already inside.

3.   Check the filter, then again in a week. Heavy smoke can load a 1-inch filter in days rather than the usual 60 to 90.

4.   Move the workout indoors, or to the next morning, when the AQI is typically lowest.

5.   Don't add smoke of your own. No candles, no frying, no gas fireplace.

Which MERV Rating Handles Syracuse Air?

Onondaga County sees only a handful of unhealthy air days in a typical year, and the rest of the time a MERV 8 filter handles routine dust, pollen and lint. The Syracuse question was never what to run all year; it's what to have on the shelf for the days that break the pattern. Filterbuy makes MERV 8, 11 and 13 in over 600 sizes, including the odd ones older Syracuse houses need.

Once the AQI passes 150, EPA recommends MERV 13 or higher for the duration of a smoky period, noting most systems handle it as long as the filter is changed often. The research EPA cites (Fisk and Chan, 2017) found a high-efficiency filter with the fan on continuous may cut indoor PM2.5 by roughly 50%, against about 24% for a low-efficiency one. That's double the fine particles pulled from the air your family breathes. See also MERV ratings for high AQI days and MERV 13 vs. HEPA.

Supporting Statistics

Three findings from federal and state health agencies explain why the daily number matters more here than the annual one.

1. Asthma ER Visits in Central New York More Than Doubled on June 7, 2023

Asthma-related emergency department visits rose 82% statewide that day. In Central New York, they more than doubled.

NYSDOH studied it with the CDC, comparing June 7 against the June 1–5 baseline:

•    +82% asthma-associated ED visits statewide

•    More than double in Central New York and Eastern Lake Ontario

•    At least +35% in every DEC region but the Adirondacks

•    Nearly triple among older children and young adults

Onondaga County sits in that region, so this is the measured outcome of the day described above, not a national figure borrowed for a local page.

Sources: NYSDOH and CDC MMWR, 2023

2. Americans Spend About 90% of Their Time Indoors

EPA reports Americans spend roughly 90% of their time indoors, where some pollutants run 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor levels.

Two things follow. Outdoor air becomes indoor air through doors, windows and cracks, and the people most at risk are inside the most: EPA notes young children, older adults and those with heart or lung disease spend even longer indoors than average.

So an outdoor AQI reading isn't about the 10% of your day spent outside. It's a decision about the 90% you spend in.

Source: U.S. EPA, Report on the Environment: Indoor Air Quality

3. Over 45 Million Americans Live Within 300 Feet of a Major Road

EPA estimates more than 45 million people in the U.S. live within 300 feet of a major transportation facility, usually a busy road, where vehicle pollutants concentrate.

EPA links that proximity to asthma onset, cardiovascular disease and impaired lung development in children, with low-income communities carrying the most risk.

Syracuse's I-81 viaduct runs through dense residential neighborhoods, with demolition through 2028. That's why those community-center monitors exist, and why someone three blocks away shouldn't assume the citywide number describes their block.

Source: U.S. EPA, Air Research: Near Roadway and Other Near Source Air Pollution

Syracuse's air is clean most of the year, and the bad days arrive with about a day's notice. Bookmark this Filterbuy map, check it before you plan outdoor time, and keep a spare MERV 13 on the shelf, because ordering one after the smoke arrives is the mistake we watch people make every summer.

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