Why is the air quality bad in Yucca today?

Poor air quality in Yucca is usually driven by one dominant pollutant — most often fine particle pollution (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke, vehicle exhaust, or industry, or ground-level ozone (smog) that builds on hot, sunny, stagnant days. The AQI at the top of this page names which pollutant is highest right now; that pollutant is what's making the air "bad," and weather — heat, calm wind, or smoke blown in from elsewhere — is usually why it spikes on a given day.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Yucca right now?

It depends on the AQI. Below 100 (Good or Moderate) it's generally fine to run or work out outdoors. From 101–150 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), people with asthma, heart conditions, kids, and older adults should shorten or move workouts indoors. At 151+ (Unhealthy) everyone should cut back on hard outdoor exertion, because exercise makes you breathe more polluted air deeper into your lungs. The live verdict at the top of this page gives the go/no-go for Yucca right now.

What's the main pollutant in Yucca's air?

The two pollutants that most often drive Yucca's AQI are fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone. PM2.5 tends to dominate in winter, near traffic and industry, and during wildfire smoke events; ozone tends to dominate on hot, sunny summer afternoons. This page identifies the dominant pollutant live — it's the one whose sub-index matches the overall AQI — so you can see which is the problem today rather than guessing by season.

Yucca, Arizona Air Quality

Yucca air quality today — the AQI, the main pollutant, and whether it’s safe to exercise outside right now

Yucca, AZ · Air quality right now

The air quality index in Yucca, AZ is 37 (Good) right now — safe for outdoor activity.

Is it safe to be outside in Yucca today?

Yes — air quality is Good (AQI 37)

Air is clean — great for outdoor activity.Main pollutant: Ozone

Pollutants right now

PM2.55.0 µg/m³fine particles — smoke, exhaust, soot
PM1015 µg/m³coarse particles — dust, pollen, ash
Ozone82 µg/m³Main pollutantsmog — builds on hot, sunny days
NO₂0.9 µg/m³nitrogen dioxide — traffic, combustion

ExerciseOK to run — no air-quality limits on outdoor exercise.

Wildfire smoke & fire weather in Yucca

Smoke checkFine-particle (PM2.5) level right now: 5.0 µg/m³ Good on the EPA PM2.5 scale. PM2.5-based; smoke is one possible source — traffic, industry, and dust raise the same number.

Wildfire smoke shows up in air-quality data as fine-particle (PM2.5) pollution — it’s the number that climbs when smoke moves in. A Fire Weather Watch from the National Weather Service means critical fire-weather conditions — dry fuels, low humidity, gusty wind — are possible in the next day or two; a Red Flag Warning means they’re happening or imminent. On smoky days, EPA and AirNow guidance is to limit time outdoors, keep windows closed, run filtration if you have it, and wear an N95 if you must be outside. See where smoke and storms sit right now on the live weather map.

How to read Yucca’s air quality

Air quality is reported as the EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), a 0–500 scale set by whichever pollutant is worst at the moment — where an AQI under 100 is a safe day for outdoor activity in Yucca and above 100 people with asthma, heart conditions, the very young, and older adults should start to scale back.

For the full six-category scale — every band, its color, and the pollutants behind the number — see the AQI scale guide.

Air quality over time in Yucca

Across the EPA’s county records from 2020 to 2025, Yucca’s cleanest year was 2023 (median AQI 15) and its most polluted was 2020 (median AQI 19); the typical (median) day has held roughly steady since 2020.

Yucca’s county air-quality record by year — the median and days in each AQI category, from the EPA’s Annual AQI by County summaries.
Year	Median AQI	Good	Moderate	USG	Unhealthy+	Main pollutant
2020	19	348	9	1	0	PM10
2021	19	360	2	0	1	PM10
2022	17	340	16	1	0	PM10
2023	15	344	9	0	0	PM10
2024	19	347	5	0	0	PM10
2025	17	331	16	0	2	PM10

“USG” is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (AQI 101–150); “Unhealthy+” combines the Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, and Hazardous days. In 2024 the EPA tightened the annual fine-particle (PM2.5) standard to 9 µg/m³ from the previous 12 µg/m³, so counties near the old limit read worse against the new one. Source: EPA AQS annual summaries, 2020–2025.

Frequently asked

Why is the air quality bad in Yucca today?: Poor air quality in Yucca is usually driven by one dominant pollutant — most often fine particle pollution (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke, vehicle exhaust, or industry, or ground-level ozone (smog) that builds on hot, sunny, stagnant days. The AQI at the top of this page names which pollutant is highest right now; that pollutant is what's making the air "bad," and weather — heat, calm wind, or smoke blown in from elsewhere — is usually why it spikes on a given day.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Yucca right now?: It depends on the AQI. Below 100 (Good or Moderate) it's generally fine to run or work out outdoors. From 101–150 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), people with asthma, heart conditions, kids, and older adults should shorten or move workouts indoors. At 151+ (Unhealthy) everyone should cut back on hard outdoor exertion, because exercise makes you breathe more polluted air deeper into your lungs. The live verdict at the top of this page gives the go/no-go for Yucca right now.
What's the main pollutant in Yucca's air?: The two pollutants that most often drive Yucca's AQI are fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone. PM2.5 tends to dominate in winter, near traffic and industry, and during wildfire smoke events; ozone tends to dominate on hot, sunny summer afternoons. This page identifies the dominant pollutant live — it's the one whose sub-index matches the overall AQI — so you can see which is the problem today rather than guessing by season.

More for Yucca

See the full Yucca, AZ weather forecast — hour-by-hour outlook, NOAA radar, satellite, and air quality.