Air Quality Category Tables
Processed on 2024-03-04 12:51:11 PST.
Disclaimer: Data presented here come from a variety of sources and do not represent official EPA measurements. Please visit AirNow for official measurements.
Cumulative exposure to smoke is an important public health metric. This report summarizes the cumulative number of days air quality monitors in California spent in each AQI category during the the month of December.
The tables below include only permanent monitors measuring PM2.5 and show cumulative exposure under existing NAAQS (National Ambient Air Quality Standards) and under the 2024 revised standards for PM2.5.
In the tables and plots below, ‘Old’ designates cumulative days calculated using the 2023 PM2.5 NAAQS while ‘New’ is calculated using the 2024 revised PM2.5 NAAQS. The impact of the NAAQS revision is quite clear.
December in California
December 2014 – 116 permanent monitors
| Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Very Unhealthy | Hazardous | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old | 1565 | 372 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| New | 1290 | 647 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 50 |
December 2015 – 136 permanent monitors
| Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Very Unhealthy | Hazardous | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old | 1608 | 510 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 118 |
| New | 1292 | 824 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 118 |
December 2016 – 264 permanent monitors
| Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Very Unhealthy | Hazardous | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old | 1762 | 885 | 86 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 143 |
| New | 1384 | 1256 | 93 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 143 |
December 2017 – 165 permanent monitors
| Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Very Unhealthy | Hazardous | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old | 1279 | 1263 | 172 | 88 | 5 | 2 | 136 |
| New | 939 | 1590 | 183 | 87 | 7 | 3 | 136 |
December 2018 – 289 permanent monitors
| Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Very Unhealthy | Hazardous | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old | 2071 | 747 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 129 |
| New | 1669 | 1148 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 129 |
December 2019 – 166 permanent monitors
| Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Very Unhealthy | Hazardous | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old | 2406 | 409 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 242 |
| New | 2095 | 719 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 242 |
December 2020 – 362 permanent monitors
| Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Very Unhealthy | Hazardous | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old | 2010 | 1056 | 52 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 257 |
| New | 1603 | 1457 | 58 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 257 |
December 2021 – 220 permanent monitors
| Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Very Unhealthy | Hazardous | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old | 2303 | 889 | 65 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 297 |
| New | 1956 | 1233 | 68 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 297 |
December 2022 – 237 permanent monitors
| Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Very Unhealthy | Hazardous | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old | 2549 | 1029 | 54 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 210 |
| New | 2145 | 1429 | 58 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 210 |
December 2023 – 437 permanent monitors
| Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Very Unhealthy | Hazardous | Missing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old | 2520 | 1055 | 72 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 311 |
| New | 2039 | 1530 | 78 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 311 |
