Bad Air Days in Nueces County, Texas: 3 a Year

3 bad air days a year

About the middle of monitored US counties. Ranked 341 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: mostly particles: smoke and dust (82% particle days).

When the bad days come in Nueces

Most bad days here fall in May and March and June. 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 Nueces

In 2000 to 2009 this county averaged 9 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, 3. The air has improved. The worst recent year was 2024, with 16 bad days on 366 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2020-06-26	162	PM2.5
2020-06-27	159	PM2.5
2024-05-27	153	PM2.5
2024-05-09	149	PM2.5
2024-06-05	138	PM2.5

The air on a normal day

Across 3,644 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Nueces County rated Good on 56% of them, less often than the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 43%. The median day sat at AQI 47; one day in ten went above 68.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)65%2,385 days
ozone34%1,255 days

Year by year

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	365	148	209	8	0	53	137
2024	366	178	172	16	1	51	153
2023	365	196	167	2	0	48	101
2022	365	208	155	2	0	47	106
2021	364	200	162	2	0	47	113
2020	366	227	137	2	2	46	162
2019	365	198	166	1	0	49	107
2018	365	214	151	0	0	44	99
2017	357	217	140	0	0	45	97
2016	366	272	94	0	0	40	94
2015	365	203	160	2	0	48	112
2014	365	207	157	1	0	48	105
2013	365	218	147	0	0	46	100
2012	366	213	148	5	0	47	147
2011	365	214	140	11	1	47	154
2010	361	208	145	8	0	47	126

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

Elsewhere in Texas

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.