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Charleston air right now

GoodAQI 49

Charleston’s five-day smoke forecast shows the current index and the clearest time ahead.

49
AQI now
8.9
PM2.5 · µg/m³
Look farther for cleaner air

Where are you?

Search covers Canada and the United States.

The better move within a 3-hour drive

Dates

Dates follow you into hotel searches. Live inventory is confirmed by the provider.

You may already have the cleanest nearby air.No meaningfully cleaner place has a verified road route within 3 hours. Widen the range or show worse air for context.

Every town is also available in the ranked list.
Charleston Clean · PM2.5 0–5 Good · 5–9 Elevated · 9–15 Polluted · 15–35 Unhealthy · 35–55 Severe · 55+
Top pick
Beaufort
Cel-shaded illustration of Beaufort
AQI 37
#1Beaufort~1 h 40 min drive

South Carolina· Good

Lowcountry town among the sea islands between Charleston and Savannah, cooled by tidal marine air, with historic inns.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 6.6 µg/m³ here vs 8.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 6.6/22 × 7 = 2.1 here; 8.9/22 × 7 = 2.8 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

2.3 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Charleston right now

26% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 6:12 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is estimated for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Folly Beach
Cel-shaded illustration of Folly Beach
AQI 49
#2Folly Beach~20 min drive

South Carolina· Good

Barrier-island beach town just south of Charleston, swept by open Atlantic wind, with rentals and small inns.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 8.9 µg/m³ here vs 8.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 8.9/22 × 7 = 2.8 here; 8.9/22 × 7 = 2.8 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
0% worse airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 5:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 from the North Charleston F.S. monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
Shell Point
Cel-shaded illustration of Shell Point
AQI unavailable
#3Shell PointChecking road route

South Carolina

South Carolina community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Hanahan
Cel-shaded illustration of Hanahan
AQI unavailable
#4HanahanChecking road route

South Carolina

South Carolina community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Goose Creek
Cel-shaded illustration of Goose Creek
AQI unavailable
#5Goose CreekChecking road route

South Carolina

South Carolina community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Ladson
Cel-shaded illustration of Ladson
AQI unavailable
#6LadsonChecking road route

South Carolina

South Carolina community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Hollywood
Cel-shaded illustration of Hollywood
AQI unavailable
#7HollywoodChecking road route

South Carolina

South Carolina community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Ravenel
Cel-shaded illustration of Ravenel
AQI unavailable
#8RavenelChecking road route

South Carolina

South Carolina community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Seabrook Island
Cel-shaded illustration of Seabrook Island
AQI unavailable
#9Seabrook IslandChecking road route

South Carolina

South Carolina community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Sangaree
Cel-shaded illustration of Sangaree
AQI unavailable
#10SangareeChecking road route

South Carolina

South Carolina community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Summerville
Cel-shaded illustration of Summerville
AQI unavailable
#11SummervilleChecking road route

South Carolina

South Carolina community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Moncks Corner
Cel-shaded illustration of Moncks Corner
AQI unavailable
#12Moncks CornerChecking road route

South Carolina

South Carolina community with a cached air reading available when it appears in a nearby escape search.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Hilton Head Island
Cel-shaded illustration of Hilton Head Island
AQI 50
#13Hilton Head Island~2 h 15 min drive

South Carolina· Good

Resort barrier island on South Carolina's coast, wrapped in onshore Atlantic air, with extensive resort lodging.

Worse air than home. Don't bother.

PM2.5 is 9 µg/m³ here vs 8.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 9/22 × 7 = 2.9 here; 8.9/22 × 7 = 2.8 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
1% worse airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 5:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 from the Savannah L&A monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
Savannah
Cel-shaded illustration of Savannah
AQI 50
#14Savannah~2 h 25 min drive

Georgia· Good

Atlantic low-country city with extensive lodging and coastal air between Jacksonville and Charleston.

Worse air than home. Don't bother.

PM2.5 is 9 µg/m³ here vs 8.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 9/22 × 7 = 2.9 here; 8.9/22 × 7 = 2.8 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
1% worse airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 5:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 from the Savannah L&A monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
Tybee Island
Cel-shaded illustration of Tybee Island
AQI 50
#15Tybee Island~2 h 55 min drive

Georgia· Good

Barrier-island beach town just east of Savannah, exposed to open Atlantic wind, with cottages and small hotels.

Worse air than home. Don't bother.

PM2.5 is 9 µg/m³ here vs 8.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 9/22 × 7 = 2.9 here; 8.9/22 × 7 = 2.8 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
1% worse airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 5:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 from the Savannah L&A monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
Sumter
Cel-shaded illustration of Sumter
AQI 53
#16SumterChecking road route

South Carolina· Moderate

South Carolina community with lodging and a separate live air reading for regional smoke comparisons.

Worse air than home. Don't bother.

PM2.5 is 10.3 µg/m³ here vs 8.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 10.3/22 × 7 = 3.3 here; 8.9/22 × 7 = 2.8 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
16% worse airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 6:27 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is estimated for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Columbia
Cel-shaded illustration of Columbia
AQI 60
#17Columbia~2 h 15 min drive

South Carolina· Moderate

A major South Carolina city with broad lodging options and live air-quality readings for comparison when smoke shifts across the region.

Worse air than home. Don't bother.

PM2.5 is 13.9 µg/m³ here vs 8.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 13.9/22 × 7 = 4.4 here; 8.9/22 × 7 = 2.8 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

Air is currently worse here than in Charleston

56% worse airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 5:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 from the Irmo DJJ monitor.

Directions
Banner Elk
Cel-shaded illustration of Banner Elk
AQI 11
#18Banner ElkChecking road route

North Carolina· Good

High-country ski town near 3,700 feet between Grandfather and Beech mountains, with cool alpine air.

78% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 2 µg/m³ here vs 8.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 2/22 × 7 = 0.6 here; 8.9/22 × 7 = 2.8 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

6.9 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Charleston right now

78% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 5:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 from the Spruce Pine monitor.

Directions
Pigeon Forge
Cel-shaded illustration of Pigeon Forge
AQI 11
#19Pigeon Forge~6 h 50 min drive

Tennessee· Good

Smoky Mountains resort town just below Gatlinburg, set in the foothills with a huge stock of hotels and cabins.

78% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 2 µg/m³ here vs 8.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 2/22 × 7 = 0.6 here; 8.9/22 × 7 = 2.8 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

6.9 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Charleston right now

78% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 5:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 from the MARYVILL monitor.

Directions
Asheville
Cel-shaded illustration of Asheville
AQI 17
#20Asheville~5 h drive

North Carolina· Good

Blue Ridge mountain city with extensive lodging and higher-elevation air west of Charlotte.

66% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 3 µg/m³ here vs 8.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 3/22 × 7 = 1.0 here; 8.9/22 × 7 = 2.8 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

5.9 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Charleston right now

66% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Aug 23, 5:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 from the BDED monitor.

Directions
Bad week ahead? Check the 7-day outlook — if it won’t clear, book the trip

7-day outlook

Plan the next seven days

Pick a day, or compare the whole week. Weather is forecast; air quality is the latest available reading.

Loading the week…

Finding the nicest days and reachable cities.

Observed Aug 23, 5:00 p.m. EDTLast scan Aug 23, 6:27 p.m. EDT · 49 min ago

Why live rankings? Smoke plumes are patchy and shift with the wind, so no direction is reliably cleaner. This list is recalculated from live PM2.5 every hour — and if everything nearby is smoky, it says so.

How we work this out →

Browse all 200 cities by province & state →

More air-quality pages in South Carolina →
Columbia air qualityGreenville air quality
Air quality in nearby cities →
Augusta air qualityCharlotte air qualityJacksonville air qualityRaleigh air qualityGreensboro air qualityDurham air qualityWinston-Salem air qualityAtlanta air qualityTallahassee air qualityOrlando air qualityKnoxville air qualityNorfolk air quality

What this means · Charleston

Good

AQI 49

AQI = Air Quality Index

Typical person. Air quality is satisfactory for most outdoor plans.

Kids, seniors, heart or lung conditions. Unusually sensitive people can still enjoy the outdoors.

The AQI on this page follows fine particles (PM2.5). Particles here are 8.9 µg/m³ (Good), so the headline and the particle scale below tell the same story.

Act two · Fine particles only

Where PM2.5 lands

This bar is smoke and fine particles (PM2.5) only. Left is cleaner air; right is heavier particle pollution. Today's particles sit in Good.

8.9 µg/m³
Clean · 0Smoky · 40Severe · 80+

Act three · Particle ladder

What each PM2.5 rung feels like

  • 0–3µg/m³Natural. About as clean as outdoor air realistically gets.
  • 3–5µg/m³Clean. Crisp, destination-worthy air.
  • 5–9µg/m³Good. Clean city air; most people will not notice anything today.
  • 9–15µg/m³Elevated. Usually no big deal today; sensitive lungs may notice hard exercise.
  • 15–35µg/m³Polluted. Smoke or traffic pollution is now worth acting on.
  • 35–55µg/m³Unhealthy. Symptoms become more likely, especially with asthma or heart disease.
  • 55+µg/m³Severe. Everyone should reduce exposure and clean the indoor air.

Act four · Felt number

Cigarettes a week

A secondary feel for the particle load only — not a medical claim, and not a substitute for AQI.

2.8/wk

What is PM2.5?

Fine particles about 30× thinner than a human hair — small enough to slip through your lungs and into your bloodstream. We measure them inµg/m³: micrograms of particle mass in a cubic metre of air.

The math

PM2.5 here is 8.9 µg/m³.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at this level: 8.9/22 × 7 = 2.8 cigarettes.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
See the full method →