Bad Air Days in Providence County, Rhode Island: 3 a Year

3 bad air days a year

About the middle of monitored US counties. Ranked 399 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: mostly ozone: summer smog (14% particle days).

The bad-air season here

Most bad days here fall in July and May 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 worst days on file

In 2000 to 2009 this county averaged 15 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, 3. The air has improved. The worst recent year was 2018, with 8 bad days on 365 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2025-07-04	196	PM2.5
2017-05-18	150	Ozone
2018-05-25	147	Ozone
2018-07-10	143	Ozone
2016-07-22	140	Ozone

The air on a normal day

Across 3,653 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Providence County rated Good on 64% of them, less often than the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 35%. The median day sat at AQI 44; one day in ten went above 61.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)67%2,445 days
ozone31%1,146 days
nitrogen dioxide2%59 days

Every recent year on file

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	365	268	96	1	1	39	196
2024	366	293	73	0	0	38	72
2023	365	217	144	4	0	46	125
2022	365	263	101	1	0	43	108
2021	365	219	142	4	0	45	136
2020	366	226	138	2	0	45	112
2019	365	222	143	0	0	46	90
2018	365	212	145	8	0	47	147
2017	365	225	136	4	0	45	150
2016	366	190	172	4	0	49	140
2015	365	173	187	5	2	52	177
2014	365	202	161	2	0	47	121
2013	365	173	186	6	0	52	150
2012	366	193	160	13	1	49	166
2011	365	190	170	5	0	48	126
2010	365	228	129	8	2	43	151

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

Nearby counties on file

Washington County4/yr
Kent County2/yr

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.