East Meadow, New York Air Quality
East Meadow air quality today — the AQI, the main pollutant, and whether it’s safe to exercise outside right now
East Meadow, NY · Air quality right now
The air quality index in East Meadow, NY is 53 (Moderate) right now — acceptable for most people.
Is it safe to be outside in East Meadow today?
AQI 53 Yes — air quality is Moderate
Fine for most; unusually sensitive people can take it easy.Main pollutant: PM2.5Observed 1:00 AM EDT
Pollutants right now
- PM2.59.2 µg/m³Main pollutantfine particles — smoke, exhaust, soot
- PM1010 µg/m³coarse particles — dust, pollen, ash
- Ozone43 µg/m³smog — builds on hot, sunny days
- NO₂21 µg/m³nitrogen dioxide — traffic, combustion
ExerciseOK to run for most; sensitive athletes can ease the intensity.
How to read East Meadow’s air quality
Guides: The AQI Scale, Explained · Air Quality Alerts, Decoded · How to Read a Wildfire Smoke Map · Why Wildfire Smoke Travels 1,000 Miles.
Air quality over time in East Meadow
Across the EPA’s county records from 2020 to 2025, East Meadow’s cleanest year was 2020 (median AQI 27) and its most polluted was 2021 (median AQI 32); the typical (median) day has held roughly steady since 2020.
| Year | Median AQI | Unhealthy+ | Main pollutant | USG | Moderate | Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 27 | 0 | PM2.5 | 0 | 44 | 317 |
| 2021 | 32 | 0 | PM2.5 | 1 | 68 | 291 |
| 2022 | 29 | 0 | PM2.5 | 0 | 58 | 303 |
| 2023 | 31 | 3 | PM2.5 | 1 | 86 | 275 |
| 2024 | 31 | 0 | PM2.5 | 0 | 58 | 308 |
| 2025 | 29 | 0 | PM2.5 | 0 | 77 | 287 |
“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
- What was the worst year for air quality in East Meadow?
- In the EPA's 2020–2025 county records, 2023 had the most days above AQI 100: 4 days (1 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 3 Unhealthy or worse). The highest median AQI came in 2021 (32; 2023's was 31).
- How many unhealthy air days does East Meadow have?
- Across 2020–2025, under 1% of the days reported for East Meadow's county had an AQI above 100 (5 of 2177), about 1 day a year. 2025 had 0 days.
- What's the main air pollutant in East Meadow?
- PM2.5: it drove East Meadow's county AQI on the most days in every year of the EPA's 2020–2025 records.