ToClearSkies
🔥 See current wildfires →
Waco air right now

ModerateAQI 52

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

52
AQI now
9.9
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.

No verified road trips found within 3 hours.Try widening the range. We do not show crow-flight guesses.

Every town is also available in the ranked list.
Waco Clean · PM2.5 0–5 Good · 5–9 Elevated · 9–15 Polluted · 15–35 Unhealthy · 35–55 Severe · 55+
Top pick
Glen Rose
Cel-shaded illustration of Glen Rose
AQI 53
#1Glen RoseChecking road route

Texas· Moderate

Dinosaur-country town on the Paluxy River southwest of Fort Worth, with cabins and river-valley air.

Worse air than home. Don't bother.

PM2.5 is 10.1 µg/m³ here vs 9.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 10.1/22 × 7 = 3.2 here; 9.9/22 × 7 = 3.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
2% worse 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
Granbury
Cel-shaded illustration of Granbury
AQI 53
#2GranburyChecking road route

Texas· Moderate

Lake town southwest of Fort Worth built around a historic square on Lake Granbury, a close open-water escape, with inns and rentals.

Worse air than home. Don't bother.

PM2.5 is 10.1 µg/m³ here vs 9.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 10.1/22 × 7 = 3.2 here; 9.9/22 × 7 = 3.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
2% worse 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
McGregor
Cel-shaded illustration of McGregor
AQI unavailable
#3McGregorChecking road route

Texas

Texas 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
West
Cel-shaded illustration of West
AQI unavailable
#4WestChecking road route

Texas

Texas 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
Mart
Cel-shaded illustration of Mart
AQI unavailable
#5MartChecking road route

Texas

Texas 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
Marlin
Cel-shaded illustration of Marlin
AQI unavailable
#6MarlinChecking road route

Texas

Texas 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
Troy
Cel-shaded illustration of Troy
AQI unavailable
#7TroyChecking road route

Texas

Texas 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
Whitney
Cel-shaded illustration of Whitney
AQI unavailable
#8WhitneyChecking road route

Texas

Texas 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
Clifton
Cel-shaded illustration of Clifton
AQI unavailable
#9CliftonChecking road route

Texas

Texas 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
Hillsboro
Cel-shaded illustration of Hillsboro
AQI unavailable
#10HillsboroChecking road route

Texas

Texas 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
Temple
Cel-shaded illustration of Temple
AQI unavailable
#11TempleChecking road route

Texas

Texas community with a separate live air reading for regional smoke comparisons.

Air comparison pending.

Air comparison pendingChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

PM2.5 is modelled for this town.

Directions
Still smoky
Morgans Point Resort
Cel-shaded illustration of Morgans Point Resort
AQI unavailable
#12Morgans Point ResortChecking road route

Texas

Texas 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
Marble Falls
Cel-shaded illustration of Marble Falls
AQI 43
#13Marble FallsChecking road route

Texas· Good

Highland Lakes town on Lake Marble Falls, an open-water Hill Country escape with resorts and rentals.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 7.8 µg/m³ here vs 9.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 7.8/22 × 7 = 2.5 here; 9.9/22 × 7 = 3.1 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 Waco right now

21% 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
Horseshoe Bay
Cel-shaded illustration of Horseshoe Bay
AQI 43
#14Horseshoe BayChecking road route

Texas· Good

Hill Country resort town on Lake LBJ, an open-water escape with golf resorts and lakeside lodging.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 7.8 µg/m³ here vs 9.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 7.8/22 × 7 = 2.5 here; 9.9/22 × 7 = 3.1 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 Waco right now

21% 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
Still smoky
Wimberley
Cel-shaded illustration of Wimberley
AQI 48
#15WimberleyChecking road route

Texas· Good

Hill Country village between Austin and San Antonio, tucked among cypress-lined creeks, with cottages and inns.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 8.7 µg/m³ here vs 9.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 8.7/22 × 7 = 2.8 here; 9.9/22 × 7 = 3.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
12% 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
Llano
Cel-shaded illustration of Llano
AQI 49
#16LlanoChecking road route

Texas· Good

Granite-country Hill Country seat on the Llano River, a quieter base than the busier lake towns nearby.

About the same air — still smoky.

PM2.5 is 8.9 µg/m³ here vs 9.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 8.9/22 × 7 = 2.8 here; 9.9/22 × 7 = 3.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
10% 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
Mineral Wells
Cel-shaded illustration of Mineral Wells
AQI 53
#17Mineral WellsChecking road route

Texas· Moderate

Former spa-water town west of Fort Worth on the edge of the Palo Pinto hills, with a historic grand hotel.

Worse air than home. Don't bother.

PM2.5 is 10.1 µg/m³ here vs 9.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 10.1/22 × 7 = 3.2 here; 9.9/22 × 7 = 3.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
2% worse airChecking trip easeChecking nearby staysChecking today's weather

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

PM2.5 is estimated for this town.

Directions
Amarillo
Cel-shaded illustration of Amarillo
AQI 27
#18AmarilloChecking road route

Texas· Good

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

52% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 4.8 µg/m³ here vs 9.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 4.8/22 × 7 = 1.5 here; 9.9/22 × 7 = 3.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

5.1 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Waco right now

52% 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
Canyon
Cel-shaded illustration of Canyon
AQI 28
#19CanyonChecking road route

Texas· Good

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

49% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 5 µg/m³ here vs 9.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 5/22 × 7 = 1.6 here; 9.9/22 × 7 = 3.1 at home.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →

4.9 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Waco right now

49% 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
Levelland
Cel-shaded illustration of Levelland
AQI 30
#20LevellandChecking road route

Texas· Good

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

45% cleaner than home — pack the car.

PM2.5 is 5.4 µg/m³ here vs 9.9 back home.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at these levels: 5.4/22 × 7 = 1.7 here; 9.9/22 × 7 = 3.1 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 Waco right now

45% 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 Texas →
Amarillo air qualityArlington air qualityAustin air qualityBeaumont air qualityCorpus Christi air qualityDallas air qualityEl Paso air qualityFort Worth air qualityHouston air qualityLaredo air qualityLubbock air qualityMcAllen air qualitySan Antonio air quality
Air quality in nearby cities →
Shreveport air qualityOklahoma City air qualityLafayette air qualityTulsa air qualityLittle Rock air qualityBaton Rouge air qualityJackson air qualityWichita air qualityNew Orleans air qualitySpringfield air qualityMemphis air qualityTopeka air quality

What this means · Waco

Moderate

AQI 52

AQI = Air Quality Index

Typical person. Most people can stay active outside.

Kids, seniors, heart or lung conditions. Unusually sensitive people should consider shorter or easier outdoor effort.

The AQI on this page follows fine particles (PM2.5). Particles here are 9.9 µg/m³ (Elevated), 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 Elevated.

9.9 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.

3.1/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 9.9 µg/m³.Berkeley Earth: 22 µg/m³ for 24 h ≈ 1 cigarette.A week at this level: 9.9/22 × 7 = 3.1 cigarettes.A long-term health-risk equivalence, not literal smoking.See how we work it out →
See the full method →