Will the smoke clear before the weekend?
Check the four-day forecast at home or at your destination before changing your plans.
See the four-day forecastKnow the air quality ahead.
See hourly AQI forecasts up to 4 days out, so you can plan when to head outside—and when to wait.
See how it works
Why it matters
“Better air quality is the easiest way not to die”
Make checking the air a daily habit.
AirAhead helps with the outdoor part: see current conditions, look ahead at the forecast, and plan time outside around better air.
See how AirAhead helpsPlan ahead
Your plans need more than the current AQI.
Will the air stay clear for my whole ride?
Look through the hourly forecast for the time you expect to be outside.
Explore the hourly forecastShould I go now or wait until later?
Find an upcoming window with better air quality.
Find your next best windowToday
See the day’s air quality.
Check the current Air Quality Index for your location, with a clear assessment of the conditions. The hourly forecast shows how air quality is expected to change through the day.
Save the places you check often, then move between their forecasts.
AirAheadSan Francisco
CURRENT CONDITIONS
US AQI84UNHEALTHY
Limit outdoor time. Turn purifiers on.
HOURLY AQI FORECAST
Now84
2PM88
3PM94
4PM103
5PM112
Best window
Know when to go.
AirAhead looks through the upcoming hourly forecast to find a suitable stretch of at least two hours outside. See the time range and expected AQI together, so you can decide when to walk, run, or head to the park.
Set your preferred hours so suggestions fit the part of the day that works for you. If no suitable window is forecast, the app tells you.
AirAheadSan Francisco
NEXT BEST WINDOW
Tomorrow, 8AM–11AM
US AQI 34–39 · Great or better
Shaded hours are outside your preferred hours (6AM–9PM). Sample forecast.
Forecast
Plan days ahead.
Compare the expected AQI range for the next four days. See which days are forecast to be clearer before making your plans.
Powered by Google’s air quality forecasting model, with hourly predictions up to four days ahead.
AirAheadSan Francisco
DAILY AQI FORECAST
Today46
118
Sat34
67
Sun18
39
Mon24
52
Pollutants
Understand what you’re breathing.
Go beyond the headline number. See which pollutant is driving the AQI, with concentration forecasts where available.
Plain-language notes explain the common sources and health effects of fine particles, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and more.
AirAheadSan Francisco
POLLUTANTS
PM2.5 DOMINANTFine particles
24.8 µg/m³Elevated
Common sources
Smoke, vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, and particles formed from gases in the air.
Health effects
Can reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream, affecting lung and heart health.
PM10Coarse particles
31.2 µg/m³Low
O3Ground-level ozone
34.1 ppbLow
NO2Nitrogen dioxide
12.7 ppbLow
Map
View the air around you.
Explore the air quality heatmap to see how conditions vary across an area. Pan and zoom to compare nearby cities or take a look at your destination.
During smoke season, switch to fine particle, surface smoke and fire layers to follow where smoke is heading, with recent days and the forecast on one timeline.
Alerts
Hear about bad air before it arrives.
Choose alerts for each saved place: a daily brief at 7 AM, a heads-up when today may be Not great or worse, and an 8 PM warning when unhealthy air is forecast in the days ahead.
Alerts check the same forecast as the app, and each type arrives at most once a day per place.
Daily brief · San Francisco
Great until 11AM, then Very unhealthy by 4PM. Best window 8–11AM.
Unhealthy air today
San Francisco may reach US AQI 112 (Very unhealthy) around 5PM.
Unhealthy air ahead
Air in San Francisco may reach US AQI 118 (Very unhealthy) on Saturday.
Widgets
Put the forecast on your home screen.
Add widgets for current air quality, upcoming forecasts, or your next best window. Choose a size and location to see the information you check most, without opening the app.
Widgets match the app in light and dark mode.
Apple Watch
Check the air from your wrist.
See current conditions, your next best window, hourly and daily forecasts, and pollutants on Apple Watch.
Add a complication to keep the AQI on your watch face.
San Francisco
28US AQIGreat
NEXT BEST WINDOW
Tomorrow, 8AM–11AM
US AQI 34–39 · Great
Our scale
Eight clear steps, from Amazing to Hazardous.
AirAhead uses US AQI numbers everywhere, with its own plain-language assessments, so every number comes with a clear sense of what to do.
- 0–20AmazingAbout as clean as outdoor air gets.
- 21–40GreatA great time to be outside.
- 41–60OKFine for most outdoor plans.
- 61–80Not greatMove long or intense exercise to a cleaner hour.
- 81–100UnhealthyLimit time outside. Turn purifiers on.
- 101–150Very unhealthyAvoid hard exercise outside and keep windows closed.
- 151–200TerribleStay in a clean-air room if you can.
- 201+HazardousStay indoors with filtered air and follow local guidance.
Private by design
No account. No ads. No tracking.
No account needed
Open the app and check the air. There’s nothing to sign up for.
No ads or tracking
AirAhead doesn’t show ads or track you across other apps.
Private iCloud sync
Saved places and settings sync through your own iCloud account.
Health settings stay with you
Sensitivity and allergen choices stay on your devices.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Where does the air quality data come from?
Current conditions and hourly forecasts up to four days ahead come from Google’s Air Quality API, which combines monitoring stations, satellite data, weather and emissions information in a forecast model. The map’s smoke, particle and fire layers come from NOAA, Copernicus CAMS and NASA.
How is this different from a sensor map like PurpleAir?
Sensor maps show what individual monitors measured recently. AirAhead shows modeled air quality for the place you choose, including a forecast, so you can plan ahead. The number can differ from the nearest sensor, especially near a local source like a busy road or a fire.
Does AirAhead show wildfire smoke?
Yes. Smoke raises fine particle (PM2.5) levels, which are included in the AQI and the forecast. The map also has surface smoke and satellite fire detection layers where those sources provide coverage.
Where does AirAhead work?
Anywhere Google’s air quality model covers, in countries around the world. Coverage and forecast availability vary by location.
Which devices can I use?
AirAhead is made for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, with an Android edition for Google Play.
What does AirAhead do with my location?
The app rounds coordinates to about a one-kilometer area before asking for air quality, and there is no AirAhead account to link them to. Read the privacy policy for details.
Is AirAhead medical advice?
No. AirAhead provides general information and is not a medical or emergency service. If you have a health condition, follow your care plan and local guidance.
Get AirAhead.
Know the air quality where you are
and where you’re going.