A clearer day near Ontario

Find your patch of clear sky.

Start at your exact spot, then compare cleaner air and kinder weather within three hours.

Your way out of the haze

Pin your block, switch on rain or temperature, then tap a town to trace the trip.

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St. Catharines (you are here) Good Moderate Unhealthy (sensitive) Unhealthy+

Port Dover

#1

~1 h 45 min driveOntarioAQI 134 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 3.6 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homesave 0.1

▼ 2.9 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than St. Catharines 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.

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Turkey Point

#2

~2 h 5 min driveOntarioAQI 134 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 3.6 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homesave 0.1

▼ 2.9 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than St. Catharines right now

Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

Low-key Lake Erie cottage beach beside marshes and vineyards, far from major highways.

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London

#3

~2 h 30 min driveOntarioAQI 145 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 3.7 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homesave 0.1

▼ 2.8 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than St. Catharines right now

AQHI 3 — Low risk (London station)

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.

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Port Stanley

#4

~2 h 45 min driveOntarioAQI 145 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 3.7 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homesave 0.1

▼ 2.8 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than St. Catharines right now

AQHI 3 — Low risk (Port Stanley station)

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.

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Stratford

#5

~2 h 20 min driveOntarioAQI 139 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 4.2 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homesave 0.1

▼ 2.3 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than St. Catharines 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.

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Hamilton

#6

~45 min driveOntarioAQI 133 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 4.7 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

AQHI 3 — Low risk (Hamilton Downtown station)

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.

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Peterborough

#7

~2 h 15 min driveOntarioAQI 77 / Moderate· PM2.5 4.9 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

AQHI 2 — Low risk (Peterborough station)

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.

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Bobcaygeon

#8

~3 h 40 min driveOntarioAQI 77 / Moderate· PM2.5 4.9 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

AQHI 2 — Low risk (Peterborough station)

Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

Kawartha canal town spread across three islands between Pigeon and Sturgeon lakes.

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Fenelon Falls

#9

~3 h 30 min driveOntarioAQI 89 / Moderate· PM2.5 5.9 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

The “Jewel of the Kawarthas,” a falls-side village on the Trent–Severn Waterway.

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Oshawa

#10

~1 h 20 min driveOntarioAQI 90 / Moderate· PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

AQHI 2 — Low risk (Oshawa station)

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.

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Buffalo

#11

~40 min driveNew YorkAQI 104 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 6.2 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

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.

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Niagara-on-the-Lake

#12

~25 min driveOntarioAQI 114 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

AQHI 3 — Low risk (St. Catharines station)

Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

Wine-country town where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, dense with inns and B&Bs.

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Mississauga

#13

~55 min driveOntarioAQI 145 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 6.6 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

AQHI 2 — Low risk (Mississauga station)

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.

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Brampton

#14

~1 h 10 min driveOntarioAQI 145 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 6.6 µg/m³

≈ 0.1 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

AQHI 2 — Low risk (Brampton station)

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.

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Toronto

#15

~50 min driveOntarioAQI 121 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 8.6 µg/m³

≈ 0.2 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

AQHI 3 — Low risk (Toronto Downtown station)

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.

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Cobourg

#16

~2 h 50 min driveOntarioAQI 75 / Moderate· PM2.5 8.6 µg/m³

≈ 0.2 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

Victorian lakefront town with a long sandy beach an easy hop east of the GTA.

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Prince Edward County

#17

~4 h 10 min driveOntarioAQI 68 / Moderate· PM2.5 9.8 µg/m³

≈ 0.2 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

AQHI 5 — Moderate risk (Belleville station)

Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

Island county of beaches, wineries and small hotels, surrounded on all sides by Lake Ontario air.

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Guelph

#18

~1 h 25 min driveOntarioAQI 130 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 14.7 µg/m³

≈ 0.3 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

AQHI 3 — Low risk (Guelph station)

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.

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Kitchener–Waterloo

#19

~1 h 35 min driveOntarioAQI 130 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 14.7 µg/m³

≈ 0.3 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

AQHI 3 — Low risk (Kitchener station)

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.

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Elora

#20

~1 h 55 min driveOntarioAQI 130 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 14.7 µg/m³

≈ 0.3 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

AQHI 3 — Low risk (Guelph station)

Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

Limestone village above the Elora Gorge, with a boutique mill hotel and quarry swimming.

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St. Jacobs

#21

~1 h 55 min driveOntarioAQI 130 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 14.7 µg/m³

≈ 0.3 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

AQHI 3 — Low risk (Kitchener station)

Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

Mennonite-country village and market just outside Waterloo, an easy countryside reset.

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Gravenhurst

#22

~3 h 20 min driveOntarioAQI 103 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 19.6 µg/m³

≈ 0.4 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

Gateway to Muskoka on Lake Muskoka’s steamship wharf, the closest cottage country to the GTA.

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Barrie

#23

~2 h 10 min driveOntarioAQI 113 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 23.1 µg/m³

≈ 0.5 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

AQHI 4 — Moderate risk (Barrie station)

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.

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Orillia

#24

~2 h 50 min driveOntarioAQI 111 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 28.7 µg/m³

≈ 0.7 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

AQHI 4 — Moderate risk (Barrie station)

Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

Sunshine City between Lakes Couchiching and Simcoe, with a full range of waterfront stays.

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Wasaga Beach

#25

~3 h driveOntarioAQI 109 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 31.3 µg/m³

≈ 0.7 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

AQHI 4 — Moderate risk (Barrie station)

Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

The world’s longest freshwater beach, with open Nottawasaga Bay air along the whole strip.

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Midland

#26

~3 h 10 min driveOntarioAQI 118 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 33.2 µg/m³

≈ 0.8 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

Harbour town on Georgian Bay’s 30,000 Islands shore, with bay cruises and shoreline trails.

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Collingwood

#27

~3 h 5 min driveOntarioAQI 106 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 35.5 µg/m³

≈ 0.8 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

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.

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The Blue Mountains

#28

~3 h 15 min driveOntarioAQI 106 / Unhealthy for sensitive groups· PM2.5 35.5 µg/m³

≈ 0.8 vs 0.1 🚬 at homeabout the same

▲ Air is currently worse here than in St. Catharines

Observed Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

Resort village on Georgian Bay with escarpment elevation, a walkable pedestrian base and year-round lodging.

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6.5 µg/m³PM2.5 in St. Catharines right now
AQI 114 / Unhealthy for sensitive groupsAQHI 3 — Low risk (St. Catharines)Latest observation Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT

Build-time readings shown

0.1cigarettes

Standing outside for 12 hours in St. Catharines 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 St. Catharines, 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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