Bad Air Days in Clarke County, Georgia: 1 a Year

1 bad air day a year

Fewer bad air days than most monitored US counties. Ranked 599 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: mostly particles: smoke and dust (71% particle days).

Which months to watch

Most bad days here fall in November and May and March 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 record for Clarke

In 2000 to 2009 this county averaged 19 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, 1. The air has improved. The worst recent year was 2016, with 6 bad days on 362 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2016-11-11	166	PM2.5
2016-11-15	155	PM2.5
2023-07-18	147	PM2.5
2024-03-14	126	PM2.5
2023-06-07	122	Ozone

An ordinary day in Clarke

Across 3,606 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Clarke County rated Good on 59% of them, less often than the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 41%. The median day sat at AQI 47; one day in ten went above 63.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)73%2,642 days
ozone27%964 days

Year by year

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	365	211	154	0	0	46	89
2024	364	222	140	2	0	46	126
2023	365	173	189	3	0	52	147
2022	362	201	161	0	0	47	88
2021	365	195	169	1	0	49	107
2020	366	249	117	0	0	44	99
2019	365	171	194	0	0	52	87
2018	332	207	123	2	0	46	105
2017	360	249	111	0	0	43	97
2016	362	241	115	6	2	44	166
2015	358	229	129	0	0	44	97
2014	356	164	192	0	0	52	93
2013	365	197	168	0	0	47	92
2012	366	169	191	6	1	52	153
2011	365	156	195	14	0	53	126
2010	365	153	207	5	0	54	147

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

Elsewhere in Georgia

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.