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Knoxville air right now

GoodAQI 36

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

36
AQI now
6.5
PM2.5 · µg/m³
2 cleaner spots within 3 hr drive

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.

Pigeon Forge looks like the better move.69% cleaner air with a verified 40 min road trip. Rankings balance cleaner air with trip ease.

Every town is also available in the ranked list.
Knoxville Clean · PM2.5 0–5 Good · 5–9 Elevated · 9–15 Polluted · 15–35 Unhealthy · 35–55 Severe · 55+
Top pick
Pigeon Forge
Cel-shaded illustration of Pigeon Forge
AQI 11
#1Pigeon Forge~40 min drive

Tennessee· Good

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

69% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 2 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 2/22 × 7 = 0.6 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

4.5 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Knoxville right now

69% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the MARYVILL monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
Corbin
Cel-shaded illustration of Corbin
AQI 24
#2CorbinChecking road route

Kentucky· Good

Southeastern Kentucky town beside Cumberland Falls' plunging gorge, a wooded Appalachian base with cabins.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 4.3 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 4.3/22 × 7 = 1.4 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

2.2 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Knoxville right now

34% 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
Murphy
Cel-shaded illustration of Murphy
AQI 26
#3MurphyChecking road route

North Carolina· Good

North Carolina's far-southwestern mountain town near the Georgia and Tennessee lines, with cool ridge air.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 4.6 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 4.6/22 × 7 = 1.5 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
29% 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
Hiawassee
Cel-shaded illustration of Hiawassee
AQI 26
#4HiawasseeChecking road route

Georgia· Good

Lakeside town beneath Georgia's highest peaks, with open-water air on Lake Chatuge and mountain lodges.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 4.6 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 4.6/22 × 7 = 1.5 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
29% 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
Tellico Plains
Cel-shaded illustration of Tellico Plains
AQI 27
#5Tellico PlainsChecking road route

Tennessee· Good

Cherokee National Forest gateway on the Tellico River, a quiet Smokies-adjacent base with cabins.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 4.8 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 4.8/22 × 7 = 1.5 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
26% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the ATHENS monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
Dillard
Cel-shaded illustration of Dillard
AQI 27
#6DillardChecking road route

Georgia· Good

Georgia's northernmost mountain valley on the North Carolina line, a quiet high-country lodge base.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 4.9 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 4.9/22 × 7 = 1.6 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
25% 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
Cashiers
Cel-shaded illustration of Cashiers
AQI 27
#7CashiersChecking road route

North Carolina· Good

High-elevation Blue Ridge village near 3,500 feet, a golf-and-hiking base with cool mountain air and inns.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 4.9 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 4.9/22 × 7 = 1.6 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
25% 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
Townsend
Cel-shaded illustration of Townsend
AQI 28
#8Townsend~55 min drive

Tennessee· Good

Quiet 'peaceful side of the Smokies' town on the park's western edge, a low-key mountain base with cabins and inns.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 5 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 5/22 × 7 = 1.6 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
23% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the Look Rock - GSMNP monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
Bryson City
Cel-shaded illustration of Bryson City
AQI 28
#9Bryson CityChecking road route

North Carolina· Good

Smoky Mountains gateway town on the Tuckasegee, a rafting-and-rail base with cabins and inns.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 5 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 5/22 × 7 = 1.6 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
23% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the BRYSON monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
Franklin
Cel-shaded illustration of Franklin
AQI 28
#10FranklinChecking road route

North Carolina· Good

Nantahala National Forest town in the Little Tennessee valley, a hiking base with cool mountain air.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 5 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 5/22 × 7 = 1.6 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
23% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the BRYSON monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
Clayton
Cel-shaded illustration of Clayton
AQI 28
#11ClaytonChecking road route

Georgia· Good

North Georgia mountain town in Rabun County, a waterfall-and-lake base with cool ridge air and inns.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 5 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 5/22 × 7 = 1.6 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
23% 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
Gatlinburg
Cel-shaded illustration of Gatlinburg
AQI 32
#12Gatlinburg~55 min drive

Tennessee· Good

Mountain resort town at the main gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, tucked high in the range, with abundant lodging.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 5.8 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 5.8/22 × 7 = 1.8 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
11% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the Eastern Band of Cherokee: Old Cherokee High monitor.

Directions
Banner Elk
Cel-shaded illustration of Banner Elk
AQI 11
#13Banner ElkChecking road route

North Carolina· Good

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

69% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 2 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 2/22 × 7 = 0.6 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

4.5 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Knoxville right now

69% 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
Black Mountain
Cel-shaded illustration of Black Mountain
AQI 17
#14Black MountainChecking road route

North Carolina· Good

Blue Ridge town just east of Asheville near 2,400 feet, with a walkable center and cool ridge air.

54% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 3 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 3/22 × 7 = 1.0 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

3.5 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Knoxville right now

54% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the BDED monitor.

Directions
Hendersonville
Cel-shaded illustration of Hendersonville
AQI 17
#15HendersonvilleChecking road route

North Carolina· Good

Blue Ridge foothills town south of Asheville, with orchard country around it and a walkable Main Street of inns.

54% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 3 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 3/22 × 7 = 1.0 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

3.5 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Knoxville right now

54% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the BDED monitor.

Directions
Asheville
Cel-shaded illustration of Asheville
AQI 17
#16Asheville~2 h 20 min drive

North Carolina· Good

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

54% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 3 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 3/22 × 7 = 1.0 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

3.5 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Knoxville right now

54% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the BDED monitor.

Directions
Chimney Rock
Cel-shaded illustration of Chimney Rock
AQI 17
#17Chimney RockChecking road route

North Carolina· Good

Village beneath a granite monolith in the Hickory Nut Gorge, a small mountain base with cabins and inns.

54% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 3 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 3/22 × 7 = 1.0 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

3.5 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Knoxville right now

54% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the BDED monitor.

Directions
Tuscaloosa
Cel-shaded illustration of Tuscaloosa
AQI 3
#18TuscaloosaChecking road route

Alabama· Good

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

91% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 0.6 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 0.6/22 × 7 = 0.2 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 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 Knoxville right now

91% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the Duncanville Middle School monitor.

Directions
Fort Wayne
Cel-shaded illustration of Fort Wayne
AQI 9
#19Fort WayneChecking road route

Indiana· Good

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

74% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 1.7 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 1.7/22 × 7 = 0.5 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

4.8 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Knoxville right now

74% 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
Decatur
Cel-shaded illustration of Decatur
AQI 11
#20DecaturChecking road route

Indiana· Good

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

71% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 1.9 µg/m³ here vs 6.5 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 1.9/22 × 7 = 0.6 here; 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

4.6 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Knoxville right now

71% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 is estimated for this town.

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 Tennessee →
Memphis air qualityNashville air quality
Air quality in nearby cities →
Greenville air qualityLexington air qualityAtlanta air qualityCharlotte air qualityLouisville air qualityAugusta air qualityWinston-Salem air qualityColumbia air qualityCincinnati air qualityGreensboro air qualityBirmingham air qualityDayton air quality

What this means · Knoxville

Good

AQI 36

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 6.5 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.

6.5 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.

2.1/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 6.5 µg/m³.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at this level: 6.5/22 × 7 = 2.1 cigarettes.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
See the full method →