Rochester Air Quality in Spring
Across 2019–2025, Rochester's spring (March–May) air quality had a median AQI of 41 (Good) over 644 monitored days in the Rochester, NY area. 0.5% of spring days (3 of 644) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 72.2% of days. The cleanest spring on record here was 2020 (median AQI 39, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2023 (median 44, 3 days above 100, peak AQI 112).
- Good: 80.4%
- Moderate: 19.1%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.5%
- Unhealthy or worse: 0.0%
Reducing Indoor Ozone
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, "ionizer" purifiers) and ventilating when outdoor ozone is low (early morning). A high-carbon unit also helps with the gases and VOCs that linger indoors.
Recommended: Coway AP-1512HH (HEPA + Carbon) — True HEPA + activated carbon layer · rooms up to 361 sq ft
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How is the air in Rochester in spring?
Good on a typical day: median AQI 41 across 2019–2025, with 0.5% of spring days above AQI 100. Ground-level ozone is the main driver.
- ✓80.4% of spring days were Good (AQI 0–50), 19.1% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓3 days of 644 reached AQI 101+; the spring peak was 112.
- ✓Cleanest month: March; worst month: May.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in Rochester in spring?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Rochester in spring was 41 (Good). 80.4% of days were Good, 19.1% Moderate, and 0.5% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 644 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.
Is spring a good time for outdoor exercise in Rochester?▾
A typical spring day in Rochester sits in the Good range (median AQI 41), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of spring days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Which pollutant causes Rochester's spring air quality problems?▾
Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 72.2% of spring days in Rochester. The highest spring AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 112 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), in 2023.
Rochester spring air quality, year by year
Rochester spring air quality by year (Rochester, NY, EPA AQS daily AQI)
| Year | Days monitored | Median AQI | Days above 100 | Peak AQI | Main pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 92 | 44 | 0 | 67 | O3 |
| 2020cleanest | 92 | 39 | 0 | 59 | O3 |
| 2021 | 92 | 41 | 0 | 100 | O3 |
| 2022 | 92 | 41 | 0 | 72 | O3 |
| 2023worst | 92 | 44 | 3 | 112 | O3 |
| 2024 | 92 | 39 | 0 | 81 | O3 |
| 2025 | 92 | 40 | 0 | 67 | O3 |
What spring air means in Rochester
A typical spring day in Rochester sits in the Good range (median AQI 41), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of spring days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Spring's median AQI of 41 is in line with Rochester's whole-year median of 42, so this period is neither a clean nor a dirty stretch for the area. Nationally, the median Spring AQI across every EPA metro area (307,196 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 43, so Rochester runs in line with the national Spring norm; 0.5% of its Spring days topped AQI 100 versus 0.8% nationally (about the same).
Within the season, March is the cleanest month (median AQI 41, 0.0% of days above 100) and May the worst (median 39, 0.9% above 100).
Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.
Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Rochester, NY), 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.