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Lexington air right now

GoodAQI 36

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

36
AQI now
6.4
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.
Lexington Clean · PM2.5 0–5 Good · 5–9 Elevated · 9–15 Polluted · 15–35 Unhealthy · 35–55 Severe · 55+
Top pick
Corbin
Cel-shaded illustration of Corbin
AQI 24
#1CorbinChecking 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 6.4 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 4.3/22 × 7 = 1.4 here; 6.4/22 × 7 = 2.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

2.1 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Lexington right now

33% 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
Berea
Cel-shaded illustration of Berea
AQI 28
#2BereaChecking road route

Kentucky· Good

Arts-and-crafts college town at the edge of the Appalachian foothills, with inns and B&Bs south of Lexington.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 5 µg/m³ here vs 6.4 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 5/22 × 7 = 1.6 here; 6.4/22 × 7 = 2.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
22% 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
Louisville
Cel-shaded illustration of Louisville
AQI 33
#3Louisville~1 h 30 min drive

Kentucky· Good

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

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 6 µg/m³ here vs 6.4 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 6/22 × 7 = 1.9 here; 6.4/22 × 7 = 2.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
6% cleaner airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the Algonquin Parkway monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
Georgetown
Cel-shaded illustration of Georgetown
AQI 36
#4GeorgetownChecking road route

Kentucky· Good

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

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 6.4 µg/m³ here vs 6.4 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 6.4/22 × 7 = 2.0 here; 6.4/22 × 7 = 2.0 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 NEWTWN monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
Cincinnati
Cel-shaded illustration of Cincinnati
AQI 39
#5Cincinnati~1 h 35 min drive

Ohio· Good

A major Ohio 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 7 µg/m³ here vs 6.4 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 7/22 × 7 = 2.2 here; 6.4/22 × 7 = 2.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
9% worse airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the Taft NCore PAMS monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
Nicholasville
Cel-shaded illustration of Nicholasville
AQI unavailable
#6NicholasvilleChecking road route

Kentucky

Kentucky 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
Versailles
Cel-shaded illustration of Versailles
AQI unavailable
#7VersaillesChecking road route

Kentucky

Kentucky 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
Wilmore
Cel-shaded illustration of Wilmore
AQI unavailable
#8WilmoreChecking road route

Kentucky

Kentucky 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
Paris
Cel-shaded illustration of Paris
AQI unavailable
#9ParisChecking road route

Kentucky

Kentucky 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
Winchester
Cel-shaded illustration of Winchester
AQI unavailable
#10WinchesterChecking road route

Kentucky

Kentucky 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
Lawrenceburg
Cel-shaded illustration of Lawrenceburg
AQI unavailable
#11LawrenceburgChecking road route

Kentucky

Kentucky 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
Frankfort
Cel-shaded illustration of Frankfort
AQI unavailable
#12FrankfortChecking road route

Kentucky

Kentucky 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
Dayton
Cel-shaded illustration of Dayton
AQI 39
#13Dayton~2 h 40 min drive

Ohio· Good

A major Ohio 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 7.1 µg/m³ here vs 6.4 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 7.1/22 × 7 = 2.3 here; 6.4/22 × 7 = 2.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
11% worse airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 from the Sinclair monitor.

Directions
Still smoky
North College Hill
Cel-shaded illustration of North College Hill
AQI unavailable
#14North College HillChecking road route

Ohio

Ohio 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
Mount Repose
Cel-shaded illustration of Mount Repose
AQI unavailable
#15Mount ReposeChecking road route

Ohio

Ohio 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
Reading
Cel-shaded illustration of Reading
AQI unavailable
#16ReadingChecking road route

Ohio

Ohio 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
Scottsburg
Cel-shaded illustration of Scottsburg
AQI unavailable
#17ScottsburgChecking road route

Indiana

Indiana 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
South Haven
Cel-shaded illustration of South Haven
AQI 6
#18South Haven~7 h 30 min drive

Michigan· Good

Harbour beach town on Lake Michigan's southwest shore, swept by onshore lake air, with waterfront hotels and rentals.

83% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 1.1 µg/m³ here vs 6.4 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 1.1/22 × 7 = 0.4 here; 6.4/22 × 7 = 2.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

5.3 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Lexington right now

83% 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
Fort Wayne
Cel-shaded illustration of Fort Wayne
AQI 9
#19Fort Wayne~4 h 55 min drive

Indiana· Good

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

73% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 1.7 µg/m³ here vs 6.4 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 1.7/22 × 7 = 0.5 here; 6.4/22 × 7 = 2.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

4.7 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Lexington right now

73% 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
Auburn
Cel-shaded illustration of Auburn
AQI 9
#20AuburnChecking road route

Indiana· Good

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

73% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 1.7 µg/m³ here vs 6.4 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 1.7/22 × 7 = 0.5 here; 6.4/22 × 7 = 2.0 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

4.7 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Lexington right now

73% 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 Kentucky →
Louisville air quality
Air quality in nearby cities →
Cincinnati air qualityDayton air qualityKnoxville air qualityIndianapolis air qualityColumbus air qualityNashville air qualityFort Wayne air qualityGreenville air qualityCanton air qualityToledo air qualityAkron air qualityWinston-Salem air quality

What this means · Lexington

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 6.4 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.

6.4 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.

2.0/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 6.4 µg/m³.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at this level: 6.4/22 × 7 = 2.0 cigarettes.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
See the full method →