ToClearSkies

Knoxville · Live readout · Observed Jul 21, 2:00 p.m. EDT

Most people: normal plans; sensitive lungs watch symptoms

Knoxville is breathing 3.0 cigarettes a week

1 cleaner spot within a 3-hour drive How we count it →

If this became your normal for years, heart and lung risk would measurably rise.

9.3
PM2.5 µg/m³
51
US AQI
Moderate
Category
4.8
Cleanest in reach · µg/m³
See the 1 cleaner spot

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The better move within a 3-hour drive

Dates

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

Asheville looks like the better move.28% cleaner air with a verified 2 h 20 min road trip. Rankings balance cleaner air with trip ease.

Your escape map is waking up. Every town is also in the ranked list.
Knoxville Low smoke · AQI 0–50 Some pollution · AQI 51–100 Unhealthy (sensitive) · AQI 101–150 Unhealthy+ · AQI 151+
Top pick
Cherokee
Cel-shaded illustration of Cherokee
#1CherokeeLow smoke · AQI 33Checking road routesaves 1.1 cigs/wk

North Carolina· PM2.5 5.9 µg/m³

Smoky Mountains gateway town on the Qualla Boundary, with a broad lodging base and cool ridge air.

37% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 5.9 µg/m³ here vs 9.3 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 5.9/22 × 7 = 1.9 here; 9.3/22 × 7 = 3.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

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

37% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Jul 21, 2:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is modelled for this town — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Eagleton Village
Cel-shaded illustration of Eagleton Village
#2Eagleton VillageParticle data unavailableChecking road routesaves 3.0 cigs/wk

Tennessee

Tennessee 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 — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Louisville
Cel-shaded illustration of Louisville
#3LouisvilleParticle data unavailableChecking road routesaves 3.0 cigs/wk

Tennessee

Tennessee 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 — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Seymour
Cel-shaded illustration of Seymour
#4SeymourParticle data unavailableChecking road routesaves 3.0 cigs/wk

Tennessee

Tennessee 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 — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Mascot
Cel-shaded illustration of Mascot
#5MascotParticle data unavailableChecking road routesaves 3.0 cigs/wk

Tennessee

Tennessee 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 — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Alcoa
Cel-shaded illustration of Alcoa
#6AlcoaParticle data unavailableChecking road routesaves 3.0 cigs/wk

Tennessee

Tennessee 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 — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Farragut
Cel-shaded illustration of Farragut
#7FarragutParticle data unavailableChecking road routesaves 3.0 cigs/wk

Tennessee

Tennessee 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 — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Maryville
Cel-shaded illustration of Maryville
#8MaryvilleParticle data unavailableChecking road routesaves 3.0 cigs/wk

Tennessee

Tennessee 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 — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Clinton
Cel-shaded illustration of Clinton
#9ClintonParticle data unavailableChecking road routesaves 3.0 cigs/wk

Tennessee

Tennessee 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 — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Plainview
Cel-shaded illustration of Plainview
#10PlainviewParticle data unavailableChecking road routesaves 3.0 cigs/wk

Tennessee

Tennessee 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 — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Blaine
Cel-shaded illustration of Blaine
#11BlaineParticle data unavailableChecking road routesaves 3.0 cigs/wk

Tennessee

Tennessee 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 — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Oak Ridge
Cel-shaded illustration of Oak Ridge
#12Oak RidgeParticle data unavailableChecking road routesaves 3.0 cigs/wk

Tennessee

Tennessee 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 — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Tryon
Cel-shaded illustration of Tryon
#13TryonLow smoke · AQI 36Checking road routesaves 0.9 cigs/wk

North Carolina· PM2.5 6.4 µg/m³

Foothills equestrian town on the Blue Ridge escarpment, cooler than the Piedmont with inns and B&Bs.

31% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 6.4 µg/m³ here vs 9.3 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 6.4/22 × 7 = 2.0 here; 9.3/22 × 7 = 3.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

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

31% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Jul 21, 2:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is modelled for this town — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Asheville
Cel-shaded illustration of Asheville
#14AshevilleLow smoke · AQI 37~2 h 20 min drivesaves 0.8 cigs/wk

North Carolina· PM2.5 6.7 µg/m³

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

28% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 6.7 µg/m³ here vs 9.3 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 6.7/22 × 7 = 2.1 here; 9.3/22 × 7 = 3.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

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

28% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Jul 21, 2:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is modelled for this town — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Chattanooga
Cel-shaded illustration of Chattanooga
#15ChattanoogaLow smoke · AQI 49~2 h 10 min drive

Tennessee· PM2.5 8.8 µg/m³

River and mountain city with plentiful lodging between Nashville, Atlanta and Birmingham.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 8.8 µg/m³ here vs 9.3 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 8.8/22 × 7 = 2.8 here; 9.3/22 × 7 = 3.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
5% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Jul 21, 2:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is modelled for this town — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Avery Creek
Cel-shaded illustration of Avery Creek
#16Avery CreekParticle data unavailableChecking road routesaves 3.0 cigs/wk

North Carolina

North 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 — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Still smoky
Livingston
Cel-shaded illustration of Livingston
#17LivingstonParticle data unavailableChecking road routesaves 3.0 cigs/wk

Tennessee

Tennessee 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 — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Muncie
Cel-shaded illustration of Muncie
#18MuncieLow smoke · AQI 27Checking road routesaves 1.4 cigs/wk

Indiana· PM2.5 4.8 µg/m³

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

48% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 4.8 µg/m³ here vs 9.3 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 4.8/22 × 7 = 1.5 here; 9.3/22 × 7 = 3.0 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

48% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Jul 21, 2:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is modelled for this town — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Montgomery
Cel-shaded illustration of Montgomery
#19MontgomeryLow smoke · AQI 29~6 h 20 min drivesaves 1.3 cigs/wk

Alabama· PM2.5 5.2 µg/m³

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

44% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 5.2 µg/m³ here vs 9.3 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 5.2/22 × 7 = 1.7 here; 9.3/22 × 7 = 3.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

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

44% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Jul 21, 2:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is modelled for this town — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
Durham
Cel-shaded illustration of Durham
#20DurhamLow smoke · AQI 29~6 h 30 min drivesaves 1.3 cigs/wk

North Carolina· PM2.5 5.2 µg/m³

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

44% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 5.2 µg/m³ here vs 9.3 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 5.2/22 × 7 = 1.7 here; 9.3/22 × 7 = 3.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

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

44% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

Observed Jul 21, 2:00 p.m. EDT

PM2.5 is modelled for this town — no monitoring station is close enough for a live AQHI.

HotelsRentalsDirections
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 Jul 21, 2:00 p.m. EDTReadings from Jul 21, 2:00 p.m. EDT — refreshing…

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 →

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What this means · Knoxville

Phew.

3.0cigarettes

per week, if this air holds

Act two · The scale

Where today lands

From a crisp horizon to smoke you can taste — here’s your reading on it.

9.3 µg/m³
CrispSome smokeHeavy smoke

Act three · The ladder

What each rung feels like

  • 0–3µg/m³Natural air. About as clean as outdoor air realistically gets.
  • 3–5µg/m³Exceptionally clean. Crisp, destination-worthy air.
  • 5–9µg/m³Good, not pristine. 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 for sensitive. Symptoms become more likely, especially with asthma or heart disease.
  • 55+µg/m³Unhealthy. Everyone should reduce exposure and clean the indoor air.

Act four · The fine print

The receipts

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 9.3 µg/m³.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at this level: 9.3/22 × 7 = 3.0 cigarettes.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
See the full method →