Charleston's worst air quality days

What were Charleston's worst days?

What caused Charleston's worst days?

The event catalog has named 10 episodes affecting Charleston, each resolved to a cause only where retained evidence supports it: EPA monitor qualifiers, NWS alerts, agency statements, and reporting. The ranking above stays cause-neutral; this is where the causes live.

• Wildfire smoke 2026-01-28 wildfire smoke episode affecting Charleston-North Charleston, SC Jan 28, 2026 · 110.1 µg/m³ here , #1 all-time
• Dust Late-June 2020 Saharan dust plume Jun 27, 2020 · 40.5 µg/m³ here , #22 all-time · from Austin-Round Rock, TX
• Wildfire smoke Southeastern Appalachian wildfire-smoke episode, 2016-11-07 through 2016-11-18 Nov 16, 2016 · 64.8 µg/m³ here , #3 all-time
• Fireworks Fireworks episode, 2015-01-01 Jan 1, 2015 · 40.9 µg/m³ here , #18 all-time
• Prescribed fire 2012-01-16 prescribed-fire-smoke episode affecting Charleston-North Charleston, SC Jan 16, 2012 · 48.9 µg/m³ here , #6 all-time
• Wildfire smoke 2011-06-21 through 2011-06-23 wildfire-smoke episode affecting Charleston-North Charleston, SC Jun 23, 2011 · 42.6 µg/m³ here , #13 all-time · Honey Prairie Fire

4 more, plus every named episode and its evidence is in the event catalog.

How does it compare?

The record is 54% higher than the next-worst day: 110.1 µg/m³ (January 28, 2026) against 71.5 µg/m³ (May 17, 2007).

How unusual is air like this?

Every measured day near Charleston, by daily PM2.5; the record stands far out on the right. 40 days at "unhealthy for sensitive groups" or worse, 4 at "unhealthy", 0 at "very unhealthy" (2024 EPA thresholds, across 9,746 measured days).

Year by year (1999–2026)

Worst single day each year, by the selected measure.

Why did reported numbers differ?

During a major event, AirNow, weather apps, news reports, and neighborhood monitors can all show different figures at the same moment. All of them can be right:

• Concentration vs AQI. µg/m³ is the measurement; AQI is a 0 to 500 index derived from it. "330 µg/m³" and "AQI 500" can describe the same air.
• Hourly vs NowCast vs daily. An hourly peak, the NowCast rolling estimate apps display, and the full-day average answer different questions; this page ranks full days.
• One monitor vs a composite. A single sensor can read far above or below a citywide figure. The measure toggle above shows both framings.
• Live vs certified. Real-time feeds get corrected when EPA certifies data months later, which is why recent days here carry a provisional label.

What about indoors?

Citywide monitors can tell you what happened outside. They cannot tell you what happened inside a particular home, school, or facility: filtration, ventilation, and building operation decide that. During and after days like the ones above, outdoor particles become an indoor load question.

Check current conditions and the next clean-air window → Estimate recent filter load where you are →

Common questions

What was the worst air-quality day in Charleston?

January 28, 2026, when daily PM2.5 reached 110.1 µg/m³ (AQI 189), about 5.0 cigarette-equivalents. It ranks first of 9,746 monitored days since 1999.

What is the highest AQI recorded in Charleston?

On the worst day, the daily PM2.5 AQI reached 189 (Unhealthy). EPA's official metro AQI, which uses the single worst monitor of any pollutant, peaked at 189 on January 28, 2026.

Were these days caused by wildfire smoke?

This page ranks measured PM2.5 without assigning a cause: a high day can be smoke, fireworks, dust, an inversion, or industry. A separate wildfire-smoke event ranking, using a published attribution method with its version disclosed, is the next layer of this catalog.

How often does Charleston get air this bad?

Rarely. The record sits at the far end of 9,746 measured days; Charleston averages about one "unhealthy" day every 7 years.

Why did different apps show different numbers that day?

Concentration (µg/m³) and AQI are different scales; hourly, NowCast, and daily values answer different questions; a single monitor differs from a citywide composite; and live feeds get revised when EPA certifies data. This page uses the certified daily record, with the provisional tail labeled.