Air quality in Cleveland County, OK

Includes Norman, Oklahoma City and Moore · EPA monitor readings, 2021 to 2025 · 296,000 people

A few bad days a yearMostly ozone
Bad-air days a year
5
days with an AQI over 100

About 1 day in 79. That's down from about 12 a year in the early 2000s. Cleveland County has the 8th most bad-air days of the 19 Oklahoma counties with monitors.

0days unhealthy for everyoneAQI over 150, a year
51AQI on a typical dayModerate: fine for most people
Jun to Augworst monthsOzone on hot afternoons
143worst day since 2016Aug 17, 2023, ozone
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 51 (Moderate)Worst day 143 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups)
Good0 to 50Moderate51 to 100Sensitive groups101 to 150Unhealthy151 to 200Very unhealthy201 to 300Hazardous301 to 500

When bad air happens in Cleveland County

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

Jan0
Feb0
Mar0.1
Apr0.3
May0.2
Jun0.6
Jul0.6
Aug0.9
Sep0.5
Oct0.2
Nov0
Dec0
012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecOZONE SEASON012JFMAMJJASONDOZONE
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 Cleveland County, from 10 years of daily readings
MonthOzoneFine particlesAll
January000
February000
March00.10.1
April0.10.20.3
May0.200.2
June0.30.30.6
July0.600.6
August0.60.30.9
September0.500.5
October0.200.2
November000
December000

The worst day since 2016 was August 17, 2023: AQI 143, from ozone.

What causes it

The pollutant that pushed the AQI over 100 on each of the 34 bad-air days since 2016.

74%ozone
74%Ozone: smog that forms in sunlight on hot days
26%Fine particles: smoke and soot

Most bad days here are ozone days: smog that builds on hot, sunny afternoons.

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.

JFMarch: 0.2 ozone days a yearMApril: 0.0 smoky days a yearApril: 0.9 ozone days a yearAMay: 0.0 smoky days a yearMay: 0.6 ozone days a yearMJune: 0.1 smoky days a yearJune: 2.5 ozone days a yearJJuly: 1.9 ozone days a yearJAugust: 0.1 smoky days a yearAugust: 3.0 ozone days a yearASeptember: 1.6 ozone days a yearSOctober: 0.2 ozone days a yearONovember: 0.0 ozone days a yearNDbad daysby month
See the numbers by month
CDC estimated bad-air days a year in each month in Cleveland County, 2001 to 2022
MonthFine particlesOzone
January00
February00
March00.2
April00.9
May00.6
June0.12.5
July01.9
August0.13.0
September01.6
October00.2
November00
December00

What helps in Cleveland County

Most bad days here are ozone, which builds on hot afternoons. Timing helps most; filters don't remove ozone.

Move workouts to the morning

Ozone peaks on hot, sunny afternoons. Mornings are usually cleaner.

Ozone guide →

Check tomorrow's forecast

AirNow posts an air quality forecast by ZIP code, usually the day before.

AirNow →

Keep one room clean on smoky days

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

Choosing a purifier →

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 2024, with 9 bad-air days.

05101520253035200020052820102015202020253051015202530352000282010202020253
Unhealthy for sensitive groups (101 to 150)Unhealthy or worse (over 150)
See the numbers by year
Bad-air days each year in Cleveland County
YearBad-air daysOver 150
2000212
2001150
200290
2003101
200430
2005150
2006280
200740
200820
200910
201010
2011221
2012191
201320
201420
201500
201610
201720
201860
201900
202020
202130
202240
202340
202490
202530

Cleveland County and its neighbors

Bad-air days a year, 2021 to 2025. Oklahoma counties with monitors averaged about 7 bad-air days a year, weighted by population.

Oklahoma County7
McClain County5
Cleveland County5
Canadian County4

Nearest county with a full report: Comanche County, OK (4 bad-air days a year).

Questions people ask about air in Cleveland County

How often is the air bad in Cleveland County?

From 2021 to 2025, monitors in Cleveland County recorded about 5 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 2024, with 9 bad-air days.

What causes bad air in Cleveland County?

Most bad days here are ozone days: smog that builds on hot, sunny afternoons. Bad days cluster in June, July and August.

Where can I see today's air quality in Cleveland 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 Cleveland County is about 51, which is moderate, fine for most people. Check it most in June, July and August, 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 358 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 Cleveland County about 1 high-particle day and about 3 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.