Check a local allergy forecast for pollen levels. Air quality and pollen measure different things.
Fort Collins air quality in 2024
Days with good air
43%
156 of 366 days
Median AQI
54
Moderate
Unhealthy-for-sensitive days or worse
23
Main pollutant
Ozone
300 days
Worst reading
AQI 161
Unhealthy
Good: 156 days
Moderate: 187 days
Unhealthy for sensitive groups: 21 days
Unhealthy: 2 days
Air quality by month
Average daily AQI for each month, 2022–2024. November is usually the cleanest month and July the worst.
51Jan60% good
50Feb68% good
51Mar58% good
60Apr37% good
64May23% good
67Jun26% good
77Jul19% good
71Aug18% good
61Sep38% good
49Oct65% good
47Nov68% good
48Dec77% good
Ten-year trend
201517 daysmedian 51
20168 daysmedian 51
201713 daysmedian 52
201828 daysmedian 53
20196 daysmedian 50
202022 daysmedian 49
202150 daysmedian 54
202210 daysmedian 51
20235 daysmedian 51
202423 daysmedian 54
Bars show days each year at “unhealthy for sensitive groups” (AQI above 100) or worse.
Worst air days, 2022–2024
161July 23, 2024 · Unhealthy · ozone (smog)
159July 24, 2024 · Unhealthy · ozone (smog)
156August 17, 2023 · Unhealthy · ozone (smog)
150July 25, 2024 · Unhealthy for sensitive groups · ozone (smog)
147August 1, 2024 · Unhealthy for sensitive groups · ozone (smog)
Reading the AQI
Ozone forms on hot, sunny afternoons, so it peaks in summer; plan runs and outdoor play for the morning on high-ozone days. Fine particles (PM2.5) come from wildfire smoke, traffic and wood burning and can spike in any season. Above 100, people with asthma, heart or lung conditions, older adults and children should limit long or heavy exertion outdoors.
In 2024, 43% of days had good air (AQI 50 or below) at Larimer County monitors, 51% were moderate and 23 days reached unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. The median AQI was 54.
When is air quality worst in Fort Collins?
From 2022 to 2024, July had the highest average AQI (77) and November the lowest (47).
What is the main air pollutant in Fort Collins?
ozone (smog) was the main pollutant on 300 of 366 days in 2024.
Is Fort Collins’s air getting better or worse?
The median AQI was 51 in 2015 and 54 in 2024; days at unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse went from 17 to 23.