Bad Air Days in Black Hawk County, Iowa: 1 a Year

1 bad air day a year

Fewer bad air days than most monitored US counties. Ranked 684 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: mostly particles: smoke and dust (100% particle days).

The bad-air season here

Most bad days here fall in June and July. Averaged over 2016 to 2025.

Is a purifier worth it here?

Bad air days are rare here. A standard furnace filter is enough; no purifier needed for outdoor air.
On the odd bad day, check AirNow and keep windows shut.

The worst days on file

The worst recent year was 2023, with 7 bad days on 354 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2023-06-28	187	PM2.5
2025-07-31	158	PM2.5
2023-06-27	156	PM2.5
2023-06-29	155	PM2.5
2023-06-15	141	PM2.5

The air on a normal day

Across 3,634 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Black Hawk County rated Good on 52% of them, less often than the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 47%. The median day sat at AQI 48; one day in ten went above 63.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)100%3,634 days

Every recent year on file

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	365	195	168	2	1	49	158
2024	365	215	150	0	0	47	87
2023	354	147	200	7	3	53	187
2022	364	232	132	0	0	44	84
2021	365	211	154	0	0	47	96
2020	366	239	127	0	0	42	92
2019	363	238	125	0	0	41	85
2018	365	140	225	0	0	53	84
2017	363	108	255	0	0	54	84
2016	364	179	184	1	0	51	118
2015	362	84	276	2	0	56	111
2014	364	91	272	1	0	56	117
2013	363	156	204	3	0	53	124
2012	362	160	202	0	0	52	99
2011	361	150	211	0	0	53	100
2010	360	161	192	7	0	52	113

*2025 may be a partial year in EPA's file.

Nearby counties on file

How this is counted

A bad air day is a day the county's daily AQI from EPA AirData went above 100, the level where EPA tells children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease to cut back outdoors. Monitors do not run every day, so yearly counts are scaled to 365 days. This is the record, not today's air: for that, check AirNow. More on the method in how the county numbers are made, on the AQI 100 line in what counts as a bad air day.