Port Dover
#1≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.3
▼ 11.1 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Lake Erie beach town with a palm-tree pier vibe and steady south-shore lake air.
Your way out of the haze
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Kitchener–Waterloo (you are here) Good Moderate Unhealthy (sensitive) Unhealthy+
Turkey Point
#2≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.3
▼ 11.1 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Low-key Lake Erie cottage beach beside marshes and vineyards, far from major highways.
London
#3≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 11 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
A major Ontario city with broad lodging options and live air-quality readings for comparison when smoke shifts across the region.
Port Stanley
#4≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 11 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Lake Erie fishing village turned beach town, with open-water air on the province’s south shore.
Stratford
#5≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 10.5 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Festival town on the Avon River with a deep stock of inns and B&Bs.
Hamilton
#6≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 10 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
A major Ontario city with broad lodging options and live air-quality readings for comparison when smoke shifts across the region.
Bobcaygeon
#7≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 9.8 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Kawartha canal town spread across three islands between Pigeon and Sturgeon lakes.
Peterborough
#8≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 9.8 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
A major Ontario city with broad lodging options and live air-quality readings for comparison when smoke shifts across the region.
Fenelon Falls
#9≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 8.8 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
The “Jewel of the Kawarthas,” a falls-side village on the Trent–Severn Waterway.
Oshawa
#10≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 8.6 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
A major Ontario city with broad lodging options and live air-quality readings for comparison when smoke shifts across the region.
Buffalo
#11≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 8.5 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
A major New York city with broad lodging options and live air-quality readings for comparison when smoke shifts across the region.
St. Catharines
#12≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 8.2 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
A major Ontario city with broad lodging options and live air-quality readings for comparison when smoke shifts across the region.
Niagara-on-the-Lake
#13≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 8.2 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Wine-country town where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, dense with inns and B&Bs.
Brampton
#14≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 8.1 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
A major Ontario city with broad lodging options and live air-quality readings for comparison when smoke shifts across the region.
Mississauga
#15≈ 0.1 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 8.1 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
A major Ontario city with broad lodging options and live air-quality readings for comparison when smoke shifts across the region.
Grand Bend
#16≈ 0.2 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.2
▼ 7.5 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Classic Lake Huron beach town with famous sunsets and prevailing onshore winds off the open lake.
Toronto
#17≈ 0.2 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.1
▼ 6.1 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
A major Ontario city with broad lodging options and live air-quality readings for comparison when smoke shifts across the region.
Cobourg
#18≈ 0.2 vs 0.3 🚬 at homesave 0.1
▼ 6.1 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Kitchener–Waterloo right now
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Victorian lakefront town with a long sandy beach an easy hop east of the GTA.
Guelph
#19≈ 0.3 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
A major Ontario city with broad lodging options and live air-quality readings for comparison when smoke shifts across the region.
Elora
#20≈ 0.3 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Limestone village above the Elora Gorge, with a boutique mill hotel and quarry swimming.
Bracebridge
#21≈ 0.4 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Waterfall town in the heart of Muskoka with a deep bench of cottages and resorts.
Gravenhurst
#22≈ 0.4 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Kitchener–Waterloo
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Gateway to Muskoka on Lake Muskoka’s steamship wharf, the closest cottage country to the GTA.
Barrie
#23≈ 0.5 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Kitchener–Waterloo
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
A major Ontario city with broad lodging options and live air-quality readings for comparison when smoke shifts across the region.
Bayfield
#24≈ 0.6 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Kitchener–Waterloo
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Quiet heritage village on the Lake Huron bluffs, a slower-paced alternative to the bigger beach towns.
Goderich
#25≈ 0.6 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Kitchener–Waterloo
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Lakeside county town on high Huron bluffs, often swept clear by west winds off the water.
Sauble Beach
#26≈ 0.7 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Kitchener–Waterloo
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
11 km of sandy Lake Huron shoreline where westerly lake winds usually keep the air moving.
Orillia
#27≈ 0.7 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Kitchener–Waterloo
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Sunshine City between Lakes Couchiching and Simcoe, with a full range of waterfront stays.
Wasaga Beach
#28≈ 0.7 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Kitchener–Waterloo
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
The world’s longest freshwater beach, with open Nottawasaga Bay air along the whole strip.
Midland
#29≈ 0.8 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Kitchener–Waterloo
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Harbour town on Georgian Bay’s 30,000 Islands shore, with bay cruises and shoreline trails.
Collingwood
#30≈ 0.8 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Kitchener–Waterloo
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Georgian Bay harbour town at the base of the Niagara Escarpment, with bay breezes and plenty of hotels and rentals.
The Blue Mountains
#31≈ 0.8 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Kitchener–Waterloo
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Resort village on Georgian Bay with escarpment elevation, a walkable pedestrian base and year-round lodging.
Port Elgin
#32≈ 0.9 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Kitchener–Waterloo
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Sandy-beach base for the Saugeen Shores stretch of Lake Huron, with a full main street of services.
Kincardine
#33≈ 1.0 vs 0.3 🚬 at homeabout the same
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Kitchener–Waterloo
Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Lake Huron harbour town with a lighthouse, boardwalk beach and reliable evening lake breezes.
14.7 µg/m³PM2.5 in Kitchener–Waterloo right now
AQI 130 / Unhealthy for sensitive groupsAQHI 3 — Low risk (Kitchener)Latest observation Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Build-time readings shown
0.3cigarettes
Standing outside for 12 hours in Kitchener–Waterloo today is roughly like smoking that many cigarettes, going by the current fine-particle pollution.
An equivalence for health impact, not literal smoking: Berkeley Earth puts a full day at 22 µg/m³ of PM2.5 at about one cigarette.How we work this out →
Why live rankings?
Smoke plumes are patchy and move with changing winds, terrain and weather. Nearby lakefront, coastal and higher-elevation places can be much clearer than Kitchener–Waterloo, but no direction is reliably cleaner. That is why this list is recalculated from live PM2.5 readings every hour instead of publishing a fixed escape route. If everything within three hours is smoky, the rankings will say so. Sometimes the honest answer is to stay inside with a filter running.
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