Baton Rouge Best & Worst AQI Days: Air Quality Guide
The worst air quality day on record for Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge, LA area) was July 12, 2024, when the daily AQI reached 159 (Unhealthy), set by ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season. Across 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025, 5 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; 9 of the 10 were driven by ground-level ozone and 1 by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and 3 of them fell in 2023. The cleanest day was June 7, 2020 at AQI 18 (Good); the 10 best days span 6 different years.
Reduce Indoor Ozone in Baton Rouge
Today's main pollutant in Baton Rouge is ground-level ozone (AQI 28). Important: standard HEPA filters do NOT remove ozone — only a purifier with a substantial activated-carbon bed adsorbs it. The biggest wins are cutting indoor sources (gas appliances, certain "ionizer" purifiers) and ventilating when outdoor ozone is low (early morning). A high-carbon unit helps with the gases and VOCs that linger indoors.
Recommended: Levoit Core 300 — True HEPA + activated carbon · CADR ~141 CFM · rooms up to 219 sq ft
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When were Baton Rouge's worst and best air quality days?
Worst: July 12, 2024, AQI 159 (Unhealthy, O3). Best: June 7, 2020, AQI 18 (Good). Based on 2,557 EPA-monitored days in the Baton Rouge, LA area, 2019–2025.
- ✓5 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; the 10th-worst was AQI 140 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
- ✓Ground-level ozone drove 9 of the 10 worst days.
- ✓2023 accounts for 3 of the 10 worst days.
Frequently asked questions
What was the worst air quality day in Baton Rouge?▾
July 12, 2024: the Baton Rouge, LA area's daily AQI hit 159 (Unhealthy), driven by ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season. That is the highest of 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025.
What was the best air quality day in Baton Rouge?▾
June 7, 2020, with a daily AQI of 18 (Good). The daily AQI is the highest reading from any monitor in the area, so even the cleanest day reflects the area's worst monitor.
What was Baton Rouge's worst air quality day in 2025?▾
November 3, 2025, AQI 122 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), set by fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
Which pollutant causes Baton Rouge's worst air days?▾
Ground-level ozone set the AQI on 9 of the 10 worst days; fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on 1. The tables above list the defining pollutant for every day.
Baton Rouge's 10 worst air quality days, 2019–2025
Highest daily AQI recorded for the Baton Rouge, LA area (EPA AQS). The daily AQI is the highest reading from any monitor in the area that day.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2024 page) | 159 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 2 | (2021 page) | 159 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 3 | (2022 page) | 156 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 4 | (2024 page) | 154 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 5 | (2023 page) | 154 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 6 | (2021 page) | 150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 7 | (2024 page) | 147 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 8 | (2023 page) | 147 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 9 | (2022 page) | 141 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 10 | (2023 page) | 140 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone |
Worst day of each year in Baton Rouge
The single highest-AQI day in each year on record. Click a year for its full month-by-month statistics.
| Year | Worst day | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 119 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2020 | 136 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2021 | 159 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2022 | 156 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2023 | 154 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2024 | 159 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2025 | 122 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
Baton Rouge's 10 best air quality days, 2019–2025
Lowest daily AQI recorded for the Baton Rouge, LA area. Ties are listed most recent first.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2020 page) | 18 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 2 | (2022 page) | 19 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 3 | (2023 page) | 20 | Good | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5) |
| 4 | (2021 page) | 20 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 5 | (2023 page) | 21 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 6 | (2019 page) | 21 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 7 | (2019 page) | 22 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 8 | (2024 page) | 24 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season |
| 9 | (2023 page) | 24 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 10 | (2023 page) | 24 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
Right now in Baton Rouge
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Baton Rouge's AQI at 28 (O3). The days above are historical records, not today's reading.
View current Baton Rouge air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Baton Rouge, LA), 2019–2025. Daily AQI per CBSA is the highest AQI reported by any monitor in the area that day; the defining parameter is the pollutant that set it. Month and season statistics pool every such day in the period across all years listed. Retrieved 2026-09-09.