Bad Air Days in McCracken County, Kentucky: 2 a Year

2 bad air days a year

Fewer bad air days than most monitored US counties. Ranked 564 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: mostly ozone: summer smog (38% particle days).

When the bad days come in McCracken

Most bad days here fall in June and July and November and December. 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

In 2000 to 2009 this county averaged 13 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, 2. The air has improved. The worst recent year was 2023, with 7 bad days on 355 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2022-11-06	143	PM2.5
2023-06-15	126	Ozone
2023-06-10	122	Ozone
2022-11-22	117	PM2.5
2017-12-02	111	PM2.5

The air on a normal day

Across 3,612 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in McCracken 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 62.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)70%2,534 days
ozone28%1,004 days
nitrogen dioxide2%71 days

Every recent year on file

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	365	272	93	0	0	41	97
2024	363	269	93	1	0	42	101
2023	355	203	145	7	0	47	126
2022	345	217	125	3	0	45	143
2021	363	221	140	2	0	44	109
2020	366	239	126	1	0	44	111
2019	361	186	175	0	0	50	97
2018	364	183	181	0	0	50	100
2017	364	187	176	1	0	50	111
2016	366	153	212	1	0	53	105
2015	365	196	166	3	0	48	115
2014	365	231	134	0	0	44	93
2013	365	238	127	0	0	43	100
2012	365	189	153	23	4	50	202
2011	365	181	180	4	1	51	159
2010	365	179	179	7	0	51	122

*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, and on why a purifier does not touch ozone in smoke vs ozone.