PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Monday was our second day with average air quality, and it looks like Tuesday will be the third.  You can expect the normal pattern for the day:  increased AQI readings overnight, improving conditions in the afternoon, then increasing pollution in the evening. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

WEDNESDAY, July 2:  We should again see about average air quality on Wednesday, likely at Unhealthy or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.

THURSDAY, July 3:  And Thursday should continue our streak of average air quality in Beijing.

FRIDAY, July 4:  There is a small chance of improved air quality overnight and into Friday morning, but aside from that chance, we should see another average day. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Monday, June 30, 2014

Monday should copy Sunday's air quality, more or less.  We're looking for Unhealthy air quality in the morning, then some decrease in the AQI readings by early afternoon.  Unhealthy and Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups readings should be the order for the day. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

TUESDAY, July 1:  Tuesday should look similar to Monday:  about average air quality with a decent chance at improved conditions in the afternoon.

WEDNESDAY, July 2:  We should again see about average air quality on Wednesday, likely at Unhealthy or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. 

THURSDAY, July 3:  And Thursday should continue our streak of average air quality in Beijing. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Sunday, June 29, 2014

The clean air from Saturday morning stayed around longer than we expected, so our forecast for Sunday is better than it was a day ago.  We're looking for increasing PM2.5 levels throughout the day, so we should be moving up from Moderate/Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups to Unhealthy/Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

MONDAY, June 30:  Monday should bring us average air quality, Unhealthy or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, although there is a chance at somewhat improved air quality in the afternoon.

TUESDAY, July 1:  Tuesday should look similar to Monday:  about average air quality with a decent chance at improved air quality in the afternoon.

WEDNESDAY, July 2:  We should again see about average air quality on Wednesday, likely at Unhealthy or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Saturday, June 28, 2014

We're expecting better than average air quality on Saturday morning, but we should see the air quality deteriorate throughout the day.  The morning should start off with Moderate/Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups readings, then gradually move up until we end the day at Unhealthy/Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups readings. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

SUNDAY, June 29:  Sunday morning could bring us slightly better than average air quality (particularly so if the AQI stays below 150 on Saturday evening), but otherwise we should be back to about average conditions on Sunday.  You can expect the AQI readings to be at Unhealthy or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups throughout the day.

MONDAY, June 30:  Monday should bring us more average air quality, although there is a chance at somewhat improved air quality in the afternoon.

TUESDAY, July 1:  Tuesday should look similar to Monday:  about average air quality with a decent chance at improved air quality in the afternoon. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Friday, June 27, 2014

We're looking for clear skies on Friday!  We should see falling PM2.5 levels overnight, leaving us with Good/Moderate air quality by mid-morning, then lasting for the rest of the day. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

SATURDAY, June 28:  It looks like the good air quality should continue on Saturday, so we should have a great start to the weekend.

SUNDAY, June 29:  We should be back to about average conditions on Sunday, so expect the AQI readings to be at Unhealthy or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups throughout the day.

MONDAY, June 30:  Monday should bring us more average air quality, although there is a chance at somewhat improved air quality in the afternoon. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Thursday, June 26, 2014

Our forecast is not positive for Thursday.  Look for increasing PM2.5 levels through the early morning hours, keeping us at Very Unhealthy for at least most of the morning.  By late morning, we should see the pollution start to drop off somewhat, but we're not expecting any real relief on Thursday. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

FRIDAY, June 27: Our relief from Thursday's Very Unhealthy air should come on Friday.  We expect to wake up to Good/Moderate AQI readings, and those should stick around for nearly the entire day. 

SATURDAY, June 28:  It looks like the good air quality should continue on Saturday, so we should have a great start to the weekend. 

SUNDAY, June 29:  We should be back to about average conditions on Sunday, so expect the AQI readings to be at Unhealthy or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups throughout the day. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Tuesday was a fairly typical day for air quality in Beijing this time of year, and it looks like Wednesday should be pretty similar.  We are expecting increasing pollution overnight, then decreased pollution in the afternoon and evening.  We are expecting AQI readings at Unhealthy or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups throughout the day, but there is still a slight chance that we could see Moderate AQI readings at some point in the afternoon.

EXTENDED FORECAST

THURSDAY, June 26:  Thursday’s air quality is likely to be worse than Wednesday’s, so look for Unhealthy or higher AQI readings throughout the day.

FRIDAY, June 27:  The predicted conditions for Friday give us a strong chance at Good or Moderate AQI readings during the day.

SATURDAY, June 28:  We are still looking at the possibility of better than average air quality on Saturday, but this is far from certain from this far out.  We will keep an eye on the forecast and hope for the best . . .

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Tuesday, June 24, 2014

On Monday, the weather that was predicted was not the weather we saw; luckily for us, the weather we saw gave us much better than expected air quality!  Given the hit or miss nature of our forecasts over the last couple of weeks, you might notice that our prediction "window" is wider than usual in the graph above.  We think it is most likely that we will see AQI readings between Moderate and Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups for most of the day (except for the time around sunrise and the morning commute when there is a good chance that we will make it to Unhealthy), but it is difficult to rule out the possibility of straying from that window at either end.  So with that in mind you can read the graph accordingly, and we will hope that the weather conditions keep us on the lower end of the predicted range. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

WEDNESDAY, June 25:  Wednesday looks from here to be an average summer day in Beijing, so expect AQI readings at Unhealthy or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.

THURSDAY, June 26:  Thursday’s air quality is likely to be worse than Wednesday’s, so look for Unhealthy or higher AQI readings throughout the day.

FRIDAY, June 27:  The predicted conditions for Friday give us a strong chance at Good or Moderate AQI readings during the day. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Monday, June 23, 2014

We should see a bit of Sunday's good air quality stick around on Monday, but it will likely not last for long.  Around the morning commute, we expect to see the AQI reading to jump back up to Unhealthy or Very Unhealthy and remain there for the rest of the day. 

TUESDAY, June 24:  We expect to start Tuesday off with poor air quality, but there is a decent chance that we could see improved air quality (possibly down to Moderate or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) in the afternoon. 

WEDNESDAY, June 25:  Wednesday looks from here to be an average summer day in Beijing, so expect AQI readings at Unhealthy or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. 

THURSDAY, June 26:  Thursday's air quality is likely to be worse than Wednesday's, so look for Unhealthy or higher AQI readings throughout the day. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Sunday, June 22, 2014

We again had an unexpected clearing on Saturday afternoon, so we're starting Sunday off with lower AQI readings that we expected.  Because of this, we think that we should be spending Sunday at Moderate, Unhealthy for Sensitive groups, or Unhealthy AQI readings. 

MONDAY, June 23:  For now, it looks like the streak of poor air quality should continue on Monday, although there is some indication that the air quality may be improved in the morning.  We'll look for confirmation of this over the weekend.

TUESDAY, June 24:  Tuesday looks similar to Monday, but we could see some change in the weather pattern in the afternoon or evening.  It’s not clear yet whether that will change the AQI readings, but we will keep an eye on it.

WEDNESDAY, June 25:  We are likely to see Unhealthy conditions on Wednesday as well, but there is a chance of improving pollution levels in the afternoon. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Saturday, June 21, 2014

Friday's good air quality was a wonderful surprise, but we don't expect it to repeat on Saturday.  If the weather forecast is correct, we should see Unhealthy or Very Unhealthy conditions throughout the day on Saturday. 

SUNDAY, June 22:  Although Sunday's air quality is likely to be better than Saturday's, there’s no break in sight here – expect Unhealthy conditions on Sunday as well.

MONDAY, June 23:  For now, it looks like the streak of poor air quality should continue on Monday.

TUESDAY, June 24:  Tuesday looks similar to Monday, but we could see some change in the weather pattern in the afternoon or evening.  It's not clear yet whether that will change the AQI readings, but we will keep an eye on it. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Friday, June 20, 2014

Like Thursday, Friday's air quality should be about average or even a bit worse than average.  We are again expecting peak AQI readings in the morning, then somewhat improved conditions in the afternoon and evening. 

SATURDAY, June 21:  Saturday should also have us at Unhealthy or worse conditions throughout the day.

SUNDAY, June 22:  There’s no break in sight here – expect Unhealthy conditions on Sunday as well.

MONDAY, June 23:  For now, it looks like the streak of poor air quality should continue on Monday. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Thursday, June 19, 2014

You might notice that our prediction for Thursday's air quality has a wide range - after the last few days of very volatile AQI readings, we're hesitant to predict a narrow range on a day where the weather forecast does not give us a completely definitive air quality forecast.  So for Thursday, keep in mind the general trend predicted here (decreasing pollution in the morning, mostly stable conditions for most of the day, then increasing pollution in the evening) and watch the AQI readings throughout the day to get a sense of what might happen over the following few hours.  And for tomorrow and the following forecasts, we'll hope that the weather patterns here in Beijing start to fall into a consistent pattern. 

FRIDAY, June 20:  We think Friday will take us back up to about normal, Unhealthy conditions.

SATURDAY, June 21:  Saturday should also have us at Unhealthy conditions throughout the day.

SUNDAY, June 22:  There's no break in sight here - expect Unhealthy conditions on Sunday. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Wednesday, June 18, 2014

The air quality for the past couple of days has been a real roller coaster with AQI readings changing more than 100 points in just a couple of hours.  We're not sure when this volatility will subside, but for now there is a decent chance that we could still have those swings on Wednesday.  AQI levels could go up or down overnight, but we think that the pollution should decrease at least somewhat during the morning hours, then move back up a bit in the afternoon.  Late in the evening, we have a chance at seeing a real clearing of the air.

THURSDAY, June 19:  The extended forecast gives us some hope for Thursday’s air quality – we could see better than average conditions in the morning, but that good air might not last much past the morning.

FRIDAY, June 20:  We think Friday will take us back up to about normal, Unhealthy conditions, but we can't rule out the possibility of better than average conditions in the morning. 

SATURDAY, June 21:  Saturday should have us at Unhealthy conditions throughout the day. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Tuesday, June 17, 2014

After a rough day on Monday, it looks like we will see little improvement on Tuesday.  We can expect Unhealthy or higher AQI readings in the morning, then we should see conditions improve just a little in the afternoon. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

WEDNESDAY, June 18:  We should see more of the same on Wednesday:  Unhealthy conditions throughout the day.

THURSDAY, June 19:  The extended forecast gives us some hope for Thursday’s air quality – we could see better than average conditions in the morning, but we’ll have to get closer to then before we feel confident in that outcome.

FRIDAY, June 20:  We also have a chance at improved air quality on Friday, and again it's not a clear call.  So stay tuned for updates as we get closer to the end of the week. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Monday, June 16, 2014

Just a quick forecast for Monday:  We will probably see better than average air quality on Monday, particularly in the afternoon and evening, but the weather forecast isn't one that usually guarantees a blue sky day.  Because of that, there is a decent chance that we could see no better than Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups conditions at the best point of the day. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

TUESDAY, June 17:  If we do see clearing skies on Monday, we can expect Tuesday to start off with better than average conditions, but we do not expect that to last all day.  Look for a return to Unhealthy conditions during the day. 

WEDNESDAY, June 18:  We should be back to average conditions on Wednesday with Unhealthy conditions throughout the day. 

THURSDAY, June 19:  The extended forecast gives us some hope for Thursday's air quality - we could see better than average conditions then, but we'll have to get closer to then before we feel confident in that outcome. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Saturday, June 14, 2014

Friday's air quality was a pleasant surprise, and for now, it looks like Saturday may be better than we expected.  We could see Moderate air quality throughout the day, but we think that the pollution levels will start to rise sometime in the afternoon. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

SUNDAY, June 15:  We could see some fluctuations in the AQI on Sunday, but for the most part, we should see Unhealthy air quality.

MONDAY, June 16:  Monday morning should start off about average, but now it looks like we have a chance at clearing skies in the afternoon and evening.

TUESDAY, June 17:  If we do see clearing skies on Monday, we can expect Tuesday to start off with better than average conditions, but we do not expect that to last all day.

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Friday, June 13, 2014

We should be back to normal in Beijing on Friday as we see the AQI climb back up to Unhealthy and possibly even to Very Unhealthy throughout the day. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

SATURDAY, June 14:  Saturday should continue with the Unhealthy air quality from Friday.

SUNDAY, June 15:  We could see some fluctuations in the AQI on Sunday, but for the most part, Saturday's Unhealthy air quality should continue throughout the day.

MONDAY, June 16:  It looks like we have a chance at clearing skies on Monday morning - we'll keep an eye on this weather change and hope for the best. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Thursday, June 12, 2014

It looks like Thursday should continue our streak of better than average air quality.  You can expect improving conditions overnight and into the morning, probably giving us Good/Moderate conditions during most of the daytime hours.  Then we should see increasing pollution again in the evening. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

FRIDAY, June 13:  We should be back to about average conditions on Friday, probably with Unhealthy AQI readings throughout the day, but the morning may start out with better than average air quality.

SATURDAY, June 14:  Saturday should continue with the Unhealthy air quality from Friday.

SUNDAY, June 15:  The average, Unhealthy air quality should continue throughout the day on Sunday.

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Wednesday, June 11, 2014

It looks like Wednesday should bring us so-so air quality.  Look for improving air quality in the morning, then AQI readings around Unhealthy or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups for most of the day.  We should see increasing pollution levels again late in the afternoon and into the evening. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

THURSDAY, June 12:  Thursday brings us a chance at better than average air quality, but it’s difficult to say for certain right now.  At a minimum, we should have better than average conditions. 

FRIDAY, June 13:  We should be back to about average conditions on Friday, probably with Unhealthy AQI readings throughout the day.

SATURDAY, June 14:  Saturday should continue with the Unhealthy air quality from Friday. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Monday, June 9, 2014

Sunday was better than expected, so we'll hope Monday keeps up the streak of surprises.  But based on the weather forecast, we think we should see more normal conditions on Monday, likely Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or Unhealthy AQI readings throughout the day.  But we can't quite rule out better air quality . . .

EXTENDED FORECAST

TUESDAY, June 10:  There is still a chance of better than average conditions on Tuesday, but for now it looks more likely that we’ll be back to Unhealthy AQI readings.

WEDNESDAY, June 11:  We’re looking for another average day on Wednesday, with Unhealthy AQI readings.

THURSDAY, June 12:  We're seeing some chance of better than average air quality on Thursday, but it's not looking terribly likely at the moment. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Sunday, June 8, 2014

Saturday was a great day, one of the best so far this year, but Sunday is unlikely to match it.  Look for a return to normal conditions, with AQI readings at Unhealthy or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, for most of the day on Sunday. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

MONDAY, June 9:  Monday should start off with Unhealthy or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups AQI readings, but there is a chance that we could see the skies clear again in the afternoon.

TUESDAY, June 10:  There is still a chance of better than average conditions on Tuesday, but for now it looks more likely that we'll be back to Unhealthy AQI readings.

WEDNESDAY, June 11:  We're looking for another average day on Wednesday, Unhealthy AQI readings.

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Saturday, June 7, 2014

Friday's clear skies should continue through most of Saturday.  We could see the AQI move up in the late afternoon and evening, but otherwise we are expecting Good or Moderate conditions for Saturday.

EXTENDED FORECAST

SUNDAY, June 8:  Sunday should take us back to about average conditions for Beijing, so we can expect Unhealthy AQI readings for most or all of the day.

MONDAY, June 9:  Monday should start off with Unhealthy conditions, but there is a chance that we could see the skies clear again in the afternoon.

TUESDAY, June 10:  Tuesday may start off with slightly lower than average AQI readings, and there is a stronger chance (as compared to Monday) of clearing skies in the afternoon. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Friday, June 6, 2014

With the current weather forecast, it is almost certain that the air will clear sometime in the next 24 hours.  We think the clearing could start as early as noon, but it could be later in the day if we're unlucky.  In any case, look for decreasing PM2.5 levels by late afternoon or evening.

EXTENDED FORECAST

SATURDAY, June 7:  Even if Friday doesn’t bring us clear air, it looks almost certain that Saturday will.  We should wake up to Good/Moderate AQI readings, and those conditions should prevail through the entire day.

SUNDAY, June 8:  Sunday should take us back to about average conditions for Beijing, so we can expect Unhealthy AQI readings for most of the day.

MONDAY, June 9:  Monday should start off with Unhealthy conditions, but there is a chance that we could see the skies clear again in the afternoon. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Thursday, June 5, 2014

The weather predictions has our pollution forecast for Thursday looking like the worst of this week so far.  We are expecting increasing PM2.5 levels through about noon, and there is a reasonable chance that we could see AQI readings at Very Unhealthy at the high mark of the day.  But after noon, we should see a reduction in the pollution, possibly all the way down to AQI readings at Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

FRIDAY, June 6:  There are still signs that some clean air could move in on Friday, so clearing skies sometime after noon is the most likely outcome at this point.

SATURDAY, June 7:  Even if Friday doesn't bring us clear air, it looks almost certain that Saturday will.  We should wake up to Good/Moderate AQI readings, and those conditions should prevail through the entire day. 

SUNDAY, June 8:  Sunday should take us back to about average conditions for Beijing, so we can expect Unhealthy AQI readings for most of the day. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Monday and Tuesday turned out much better than we expected, but it looks like Wednesday will take us back to "normal" Beijing conditions.  We can expect Unhealthy conditions for most of the day and a chance of Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups conditions during the afternoon. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

THURSDAY, June 5:  Thursday should keep us at about average air quality yet again, so Unhealthy conditions should be the order of the day.

FRIDAY, June 6:  There are signs that some clean air could move in on Friday, but that outcome is not guaranteed at this point.  We'll continue monitoring and hope for the best. 

SATURDAY, June 7:  Saturday's forecast also has some signs that clear air could move in, but we can't say for certain yet.  Stay tuned for updates . . .

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Monday, June 2, 2014

As expected, it looks like we should be back to to about average air quality on Monday.  Look for increasing pollution in the morning and Unhealthy conditions for nearly the entire day. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

TUESDAY, June 3:  We’re expecting another day with about average conditions on Tuesday, so look for Unhealthy AQI readings for most of the day.

WEDNESDAY, June 4:  We should still have average air quality for Wednesday with a chance of higher than average AQI readings, possibly up to Very Unhealthy, in the early morning.

THURSDAY, June 5:  Thursday should keep us at about average air quality yet again, so Unhealthy conditions should be the order of the day. 

PM2.5 Forecast for Beijing – Sunday, June 1, 2014

It looks like our long shot for good air quality on Sunday will pay off.  We've seen the skies clear a bit overnight, and they should continue to clear through about mid-morning.  The good air quality could last through the afternoon, but we should see increasing pollution in the afternoon and evening. 

EXTENDED FORECAST

MONDAY, June 2:  Monday should take us back to about average AQI readings for Beijing in the summer, so you can expect to see Unhealthy conditions for almost the entire day.

TUESDAY, June 3:  We’re expecting another day with about average conditions on Tuesday, so look for Unhealthy AQI readings for most of the day with a chance of elevated pollution levels during the early morning hours.

WEDNESDAY, June 4:  Still average air quality for Wednesday with a chance of higher than average AQI readings in the early morning.