Air quality in Lake County, CA

Q: How often is the air bad in Lake County?

From 2021 to 2025, monitors in Lake County recorded almost no bad-air days a year with an AQI above 100, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. The worst year in that stretch was 2021, with 1 bad-air day.

Q: What causes bad air in Lake County?

The rare bad days here are mostly fine-particle days in summer and fall, the months when wildfire smoke drives particle pollution. Bad days cluster in August, September and November.

Q: Where can I see today's air quality in Lake County?

AirNow, run by the EPA and its partners, shows the current AQI and tomorrow's forecast for your ZIP code. Its fire and smoke map adds smoke plumes. On a typical day the AQI in Lake County is about 32, which is good, fine for everyone. Check it most in August, September and November, when bad days here cluster.

Includes Clearlake · EPA monitor readings, 2021 to 2025 · 68,000 people

Clean most daysMostly summer smoke

For today's air and tomorrow's forecast, check AirNow by ZIP code.

Bad-air days a year

day with an AQI over 100

1 bad-air day in 5 years of readings, 2021 to 2025. In the early 2000s it was about 2 a year. Lake County is tied with 2 other California counties for the 3rd fewest bad-air days of the 52 with monitors.

<1day unhealthy for everyoneAQI over 150, a year

32AQI on a typical dayGood: fine for everyone

Aug, Sep and Novworst monthsSmoke and particles in summer and fall

233worst day since 2016Nov 10, 2018, fine particles

How to read the AQIThe EPA's air score runs from 0 to 500. Higher is worse. Over 100 counts as a bad-air day.

Typical day 32 (Good)Worst day 233 (Very unhealthy)

Good0 to 50Moderate51 to 100Sensitive groups101 to 150Unhealthy151 to 200Very unhealthy201 to 300Hazardous301 to 500

When bad air happens in Lake County

Average bad-air days in each month, from 10 years of daily readings since 2016. Most fall in August, September and November.

Jan0

Feb0

Mar0

Apr0

May0

Jun0

Jul0

Aug0.4

Sep0.3

Oct0.1

Nov0.2

Dec0

Fine particles (smoke, soot)Ozone (smog)Bars stack in that order, from the bottom.

See the numbers by month

Average bad-air days a year in each month in Lake County, from 10 years of daily readings
Month	Fine particles	All
January	0	0
February	0	0
March	0	0
April	0	0
May	0	0
June	0	0
July	0	0
August	0.4	0.4
September	0.3	0.3
October	0.1	0.1
November	0.2	0.2
December	0	0

The worst day since 2016 was November 10, 2018: AQI 233, from fine particles.

What causes it

The pollutant that pushed the AQI over 100 on each of the 10 bad-air days since 2016.

100%Fine particles: smoke and soot

The rare bad days here are mostly fine-particle days in summer and fall, the months when wildfire smoke drives particle pollution.

CDC estimates by month, 2001 to 2022

The CDC's model counts bad-air days at the county's worst spot, from monitors and satellites. Particles (brown) fill the inside of the ring and ozone (blue) the outside.

See it on the map Compare with Sonoma County Smoke or smog?

See the numbers by month

CDC estimated bad-air days a year in each month in Lake County, 2001 to 2022
Month	Fine particles	Ozone
January	0.2	0
February	0	0
March	0	0
April	0	0
May	0	0
June	0.4	0.1
July	0.6	0.3
August	2.2	0.5
September	0.9	0
October	0.3	0
November	0.7	0
December	0.3	0

What helps in Lake County

Most bad days here are smoke and other fine particles. Filtering the air at home helps most.

Keep one room clean on smoky days

Shut the windows and run an air purifier sized for the room.

Choosing a purifier →

Upgrade the furnace filter

Use MERV 13 if your system can take it, and run the fan on smoky days.

Furnace filters →

Wear an N95 outside on smoky days

A well-fitted N95 helps. Cloth and surgical masks do little against smoke.

Wildfire smoke guide →

For today's reading and tomorrow's forecast, check AirNow by ZIP code. Its fire and smoke map adds smoke plumes.

Purifiers with a verified smoke rating

For a clean room on smoky days. Each has a smoke CADR tested by AHAM's independent program and is certified by California as a mechanical cleaner, so it makes no ozone.

Bedroom or small room

Levoit Vital 100S-P

143 smoke CADR

Everyday: up to 222 sq ft
Heavy smoke: up to 143 sq ft
Filters: about $40 a year

The cheapest unit we found with a verified smoke rating. Enough for a bedroom clean room.

$119.99 at Levoit

Best value for smoke

Levoit Vital 200S-P

250 smoke CADR

Everyday: up to 388 sq ft
Heavy smoke: up to 250 sq ft
Filters: about $50 a year

The most verified smoke cleaning per dollar of any qualifying model: 75% more than the 100S-P for $50 more.

$169.99 at Levoit

Living room or open floor

Levoit Core 600S-P

391 smoke CADR

Everyday: up to 606 sq ft
Heavy smoke: up to 391 sq ft
Filters: $60 to $120 a year

For a big room or a small apartment. Buy the LAP-C601S-WUS version, which CARB lists as mechanical.

$299.99 at Levoit

Why all 3 are Levoit: of the models we checked that pass both tests, these give the most verified smoke cleaning per dollar at each room size. Medify's MA-25 and MA-40 also pass but cost more for the same cleaning.

Ratings from the AHAM Verifide directory and CARB's certified list. Prices from Levoit's site, checked November 7, 2026; they change. We don't earn anything from these links. How to pick a purifier

Every year since 2000

Bad-air days each year. The striped part is days unhealthy for everyone, over AQI 150. The worst recent year was 2021, with 1 bad-air day.

Unhealthy for sensitive groups (101 to 150)Unhealthy or worse (over 150)

See the numbers by year

Bad-air days each year in Lake County
Year	Bad-air days	Over 150
2000	1	0
2001	0	0
2002	7	1
2003	0	0
2004	0	0
2005	0	0
2006	1	0
2007	0	0
2008	3	2
2009	0	0
2010	0	0
2011	0	0
2012	3	0
2013	0	0
2014	0	0
2015	1	0
2016	0	0
2017	2	1
2018	3	2
2019	0	0
2020	4	3
2021	1	1
2022	0	0
2023	0	0
2024	0	0
2025	0	0

Lake County and its neighbors

Bad-air days a year, 2021 to 2025. California counties with monitors averaged about 53 bad-air days a year, weighted by population.

Lake County<1

Questions people ask about air in Lake County

How often is the air bad in Lake County?

From 2021 to 2025, monitors in Lake County recorded almost no bad-air days a year with an AQI above 100, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. The worst year in that stretch was 2021, with 1 bad-air day.

What causes bad air in Lake County?

The rare bad days here are mostly fine-particle days in summer and fall, the months when wildfire smoke drives particle pollution. Bad days cluster in August, September and November.

Where can I see today's air quality in Lake County?

AirNow, run by the EPA and its partners, shows the current AQI and tomorrow's forecast for your ZIP code. Its fire and smoke map adds smoke plumes. On a typical day the AQI in Lake County is about 32, which is good, fine for everyone. Check it most in August, September and November, when bad days here cluster.

About these numbers

Day counts come from the EPA's county air quality summaries, which take the worst reading across a county's monitors each day. Monitors here reported on about 362 days a year from 2021 to 2025. A county is large, and your street can be cleaner or worse. CDC's model, which estimates every county from monitors and satellites, gives the worst spot in Lake County about 15 high-particle days and about 2 high-ozone days a year from 2018 to 2022.

Sources: EPA AirData county AQI summaries (2000 to 2025) and daily county AQI (2016 to 2025); CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking Network modeled PM2.5 and ozone (2001 to 2022). Updated November 8, 2026.