Air quality in Montreal

Air quality index (AQI) and PM2.5 air pollution in Montreal

Last update at (local time)

105K people follow this city

  • The profile image of follower
  • The profile image of follower
  • The profile image of follower
  • The profile image of follower
  • The profile image of follower
IQAir map with AQI colorful pins

AIR QUALITY DATA CONTRIBUTORS

16 Stations operated by

8 Contributors

https://cdn.airvisual.net/assets/public-profiles/5cb94966e613ee17724ccfc5-avatar.jpeghttps://cdn.airvisual.net/tiny/31665f3f-7c4c-4c39-8f5a-a22f4deb2ce8.pnghttps://ui-avatars.com/api/?rounded=true&name=louisvhttps://cdn.airvisual.net/tiny/default.png

Join the movement!

Get a monitor and contributor to air quality data in your city.

BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR
Find out more about contributors and data sources

Pollen

What is the pollen count in Montreal today?

IndexN/A
Tree pollenN/A
Grass pollenN/A
Weed pollenN/A
See pollen forecast

Weather

What is the current weather in Montreal?

Weather icon
WeatherBroken clouds
Temperature44.6°F
Humidity61%
Wind8 mp/h
Pressure30 Hg
Air pollution has cost an estimated670 deaths*in Montreal in 2024Find out more*Air pollution also cost approximately $1,100,000,000 USD in Montreal in 2024.

live aqi city ranking

Real-time Canada city ranking

#cityUS AQI
1 Edmundston, New Brunswick

61

2 Houston, British Columbia

59

3 Quebec City, Quebec

57

4 Canmore, Alberta

54

5 Valemount, British Columbia

52

6 Kitchener, Ontario

51

7 Burlington, Ontario

49

8 Brampton, Ontario

44

9 Mississauga, Ontario

41

10 Hamilton, Ontario

40

(local time)

SEE WORLD AQI RANKING

live Montreal aqi ranking

Real-time Montreal air quality ranking

#stationUS AQI
1 CHATEAUNEUF

45

2 Parc Beaubien

41

3 Petite Bourgogne

41

4 Caserne 17

36

5 Molson

33

6 Rue Saint-Zotique East

33

7 Avenue Therese-Lavoie-Roux

32

8 York-Roberval

32

9 Avenue Royalmount

28

10 St-Dominique

28

(local time)

SEE WORLD AQI RANKING

#1 Air Quality App

Free iOS and Android air quality app

AirVisual App, Free iOS and Android air quality app

US AQI

28

live AQI index
Good

Human face indicating AQI level

Overview

What is the current air quality in Montreal?

Air pollution levelAir quality indexMain pollutant
Good 28 US AQItrendPM2.5
PollutantsConcentration
PM2.5
6.9µg/m³trend
!

PM2.5

x1.4

PM2.5 concentration in Montreal is currently 1.4 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value

Health Recommendations

What is the current air quality in Montreal?

A man cycling icon
Enjoy outdoor activities
An open window icon
Open your windows to bring clean, fresh air indoors
GET A MONITOR

Forecast

Montreal air quality index (AQI) forecast

DayPollution levelWeatherTemperatureWind
Monday, Mar 25

Good 30 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
48.2° 30.2°
Wind rotating 57 degree 6.7 mp/h
Tuesday, Mar 26

Good 19 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
50° 37.4°
Wind rotating 126 degree 11.2 mp/h
Wednesday, Mar 27

Good 28 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
44.6° 39.2°
Wind rotating 261 degree 8.9 mp/h
Today

Good 28 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
44.6° 39.2°
Wind rotating 261 degree 8.9 mp/h
Friday, Mar 29

Good 20 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
46.4° 33.8°
Wind rotating 313 degree 13.4 mp/h
Saturday, Mar 30

Good 5 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
44.6° 32°
Wind rotating 289 degree 13.4 mp/h
Sunday, Mar 31

Good 4 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon 40%
44.6° 33.8°
Wind rotating 302 degree 8.9 mp/h
Monday, Apr 1

Good 6 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon
48.2° 32°
Wind rotating 18 degree 6.7 mp/h
Tuesday, Apr 2

Good 10 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon 70%
44.6° 33.8°
Wind rotating 70 degree 8.9 mp/h
Wednesday, Apr 3

Good 8 AQI US

Human face indicating AQI level
Weather icon 100%
35.6° 32°
Wind rotating 57 degree 17.9 mp/h

Interested in hourly forecast? Get the app

How to best protect from air pollution?

Reduce your air pollution exposure in Montreal

AIR QUALITY ANALYSIS AND STATISTICS FOR Montreal

Is Montreal a city with polluted air?

Montreal is a city located in the Canadian province of Quebec, being the most populous city of the province and second most populous city in the whole of Canada. It lies just above the United States border, and is home to a majority of French Canadians, with English being the second most commonly spoken language. It has the second largest economy of all Canadian cities, with industries based around the manufacturing and production of electronic goods, software engineering, textiles and clothes, as well as being one of the largest port cities in the country, with the port of Montreal handling an average of 26 million tons of cargo every year.

Looking at the quality of its air, Montreal came in with a PM2.5 average of 10 μg/m³ over the course of 2019, a reading which placed it into the World Health Organizations (WHO's) target goal of 10 μg/m³ or less, showing that it made its way into this ratings category by a very fine margin. This reading placed it in 2571st place out of all cities ranked worldwide, as well as 13th place out of all countries ranked in Canada. This is indicative that Montreal has a good quality of air, despite a large and ever growing population coupled with extensive industry and other related anthropogenic activity. Whilst there are some months that came in with less appreciable readings of PM2.5, it stands to reason that overall, Montreal citizens are fortunate enough to live in a city that falls within the WHO's target for its yearly average.

What are the main causes of pollution in Montreal?

There are a number of different sources that assist in the raising of Montreal's year round air pollution readings, as well as the months that see heightened readings coming in, with a combination of both polluting sources as well as meteorological conditions determining the pollution readings, with factors such as wind speed, humidity and temperature all having a part to play.

One of these main causes would be the use of cars and other vehicles, with a population of more than 1.7 million people there would subsequently be a massive amount of vehicles in use. These can release large amounts of pollution, with areas that see high volumes of traffic being the worst affected, so much so that people who have to take daily commutes in high traffic areas as well as those who live nearby major roads being at increased risk of adverse health effects, due to the amount of pollutants and fine particulate matter being put out. Other causes include factory and industrial zone emissions, particularly in regards to supplying energy to the population.

During colder months the demand for heating in homes and businesses would grow, and so too would the demand for energy to provide such heating. Factories would thus go through large amounts of fuels such as coal to provide these energy needs, which in turn puts out even more pollution. In finishing, traditional homes and fireplaces that utilize wood during the colder months also put out large amounts of smoke, something that has been made illegal in recent times but still continues to occur. These are a few of the sources of pollution that bring up the PM2.5 reading in Montreal.

When are pollution levels at their highest in Montreal?

Observing the data taken over the course of 2019, it can be seen that Montreal had a pattern emerge as to when the pollution levels were at their worst, and as mentioned before there was indeed a correlation with the winter months, with the worst readings coming during the coldest points of the year, albeit with one anomaly during the course of the year where a higher PM2.5 reading went up in the middle of the summer months.

The pollution levels started to rise at the very end of the year, with November being the month where a clear elevation made itself visible. October came in with a reading of 9 μg/m³, putting it within the WHO's target goal, whilst the following month of November came in at 10.1 μg/m³, and then a further 10.4 μg/m³ in December. Whilst these are not massive jumps in pollution, as are sometimes witnessed in other countries, they still represent a higher reading of pollution, and continue on into the following year. January showed a somewhat lower reading despite the polluted end of year months preceding it, with a reading of 9.5 μg/m³.

This however was followed by the two most polluted months of the year, February and March, which came in with PM2.5 readings of 13.8 μg/m³ and 14.2 μg/m³ respectively. These numbers were high enough to place them in the ‘moderate’ ratings bracket, the only two months of the year to do so, a less than appreciable ratings group that requires a PM2.5 reading of 12.1 to 35.4 μg/m³ for classification. So, in closing, the period of highest pollution levels in Montreal were from November through to March of the following year, with February and March being the most polluted during this period.

When does Montreal have the best quality of air?

In contrast to the previous question, as mentioned, Montreal starts to show its better air quality after the more polluted cold months, which typically come to a close in March. From then on follows the period of time that the air is at its cleanest, free from a large amount of haze, smog and fumes that would permeate the air during the most polluted months. April through to October had the best quality of air, with the exception of July which came in with an anomalous reading of 12 μg/m³.

The months that had the absolute cleanest air during this period were April and May, which came in with PM2.5 readings of 7.9 μg/m³ and 7.8 μg/m³ respectively, making May the cleanest months of the entire year.

What are some health consequences of breathing polluted air in Montreal?

With its year round clean air average, those living in Montreal are subject to breathing good, pollution free air. However as mentioned, with certain months being more polluted as well as certain zones such as high traffic areas or for people living in the vicinity of factories or industrial zones, there may be some health consequences. These would include respiratory ailments such as pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema and asthma occurring, as well as rapid aging and scarring of the lung tissue, if enough particulate matter is inhaled.

Pregnant mothers are particularly at risk as well, with chances of women exposed suffering from unwanted effects such as higher chances of miscarriage, babies born prematurely or with a low birth weight, and as such the infant mortality rate would be higher. So, whilst there is not an overt danger that comes with breathing the air in Montreal for most of the year, there are certain months and areas that would cause an increase in illnesses or adverse effects occurring.

Cart
Your cart is empty
IQAir Blue Banner

Connect With IQAir

Sign up for our newsletter