Bad Air Days in Washington County, Georgia: 2 a Year

2 bad air days a year

Fewer bad air days than most monitored US counties. Ranked 529 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

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

When the bad days come in Washington

Most bad days here fall in March and February and April and November. 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 Washington

The worst recent year was 2016, with 1 bad day on 119 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2023-03-08	161	PM2.5
2023-03-09	130	PM2.5
2019-12-05	116	PM2.5
2020-06-27	112	PM2.5
2022-01-31	112	PM2.5

The air on a normal day

Across 2,739 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Washington County rated Good on 57% of them, less often than the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 43%. The median day sat at AQI 46; one day in ten went above 63.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)100%2,739 days

Year by year

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	364	221	143	0	0	46	82
2024	361	221	139	1	0	44	101
2023	360	160	197	3	1	52	161
2022	362	142	217	3	0	52	112
2021	365	178	184	3	0	51	111
2020	354	230	122	2	0	43	112
2019	211	138	72	1	0	39	116
2018	121	96	25	0	0	37	70
2017	122	77	45	0	0	43	81
2016	119	90	28	1	0	38	105
2015	119	75	44	0	0	43	72
2014	114	54	60	0	0	52	73
2013	110	62	48	0	0	48	82
2012	118	65	53	0	0	47	73
2011	111	51	59	1	0	51	114
2010	112	49	63	0	0	52	91

*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.