{"id":925,"date":"2026-03-12T16:05:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T16:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sussex-air.net\/air-pollution\/?page_id=925"},"modified":"2026-03-12T16:05:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T16:05:22","slug":"air-quality-forecasts","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sussex-air.net\/air-pollution\/air-pollution-in-my-area\/air-quality-forecasts\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Quality Forecasts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Air Quality
\nForecasts<\/h1>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
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Postcode Air Quality Forecasts<\/h2>\n
Defra Air pollution Forecast<\/a><\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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To see the air quality levels in your postcode, please use the following link to the Defra Air Pollution Forecast website and enter your postcode to get the 5-day forecasts.<\/p>\n

To find out more about air quality and health, visit\u00a0Promoting better air quality in Sussex<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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How are the forecasts produced?<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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The air quality forecasts are provided by the Met Office on a daily basis, 365 days a year, for locations across Sussex. These forecasts are checked, and whenever there is a predicted exceedance of the \u201cmoderate\u201d air quality banding, alerts are triggered and sent out to recipients.<\/p>\n

The Met Office weather forecast and climate prediction model uses UK and European maps of annual average pollutant emissions to simulate the release of chemical species into the atmosphere. These are then allowed to chemically react according to prescribed reaction rates, which depend on factors including the concentration of the species, the temperature and the amount of sunlight. Species are then transported and dispersed within the model according to the winds, and the concentrations are re-evaluated. Using the concentrations calculated in this way throughout the forecast period, the Daily Air Quality Index is calculated as an average over prescribed time periods. We have found that our Air pollution forecasts can be improved by using recent observations of air quality from across the UK, together with our forecast model, to give an adjusted forecast. We, therefore, use observations from the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) as part of our forecast system. (Source:\u00a0https:\/\/www.metoffice.gov.uk\/weather\/guides\/air-quality-forecast<\/a>).<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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How the Air Quality Bands are Calculated<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Band<\/strong><\/th>\nIndex<\/strong><\/th>\nOzone<\/strong><\/th>\nNitrogen
Dioxide<\/strong><\/th>\n		Sulphur
Dioxide<\/strong><\/th>\n		PM2.5
Particles<\/strong><\/th>\n		PM10
Particles<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n\u00a0<\/td>\nRunning 8
hourly mean<\/td>\n		Hourly
mean<\/td>\n		15 minute
mean<\/td>\n		24 hour
mean<\/td>\n		24 hour
mean<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00b5g m-3<\/td>\n\u00b5g m-3<\/td>\n\u00b5g m-3<\/td>\n\u00b5g m-3<\/td>\n\u00b5g m-3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Low<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n1<\/span><\/td>\n0-33<\/span><\/td>\n0-67<\/span><\/td>\n0-88<\/span><\/td>\n0-11<\/span><\/td>\n0-16<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/span><\/td>\n34-66<\/span><\/td>\n68-134<\/span><\/td>\n89-177<\/span><\/td>\n12-23<\/span><\/td>\n17-33<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/span><\/td>\n67-100<\/span><\/td>\n135-200<\/span><\/td>\n178-266<\/span><\/td>\n24-35<\/span><\/td>\n34-50<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Moderate<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n4<\/span><\/td>\n101-120<\/span><\/td>\n201-267<\/span><\/td>\n267-354<\/span><\/td>\n36-41<\/span><\/td>\n51-58<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/span><\/td>\n121-140<\/span><\/td>\n268-334<\/span><\/td>\n355-443<\/span><\/td>\n42-47<\/span><\/td>\n59-66<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/span><\/td>\n141-160<\/span><\/td>\n335-400<\/span><\/td>\n444-532<\/span><\/td>\n48-53<\/span><\/td>\n67-75<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
High<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n7<\/span><\/td>\n161-187<\/span><\/td>\n401-467<\/span><\/td>\n533-710<\/span><\/td>\n54-58<\/span><\/td>\n76-83<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/span><\/td>\n188-213<\/span><\/td>\n468-534<\/span><\/td>\n711-887<\/span><\/td>\n59-64<\/span><\/td>\n84-91<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/span><\/td>\n214-240<\/span><\/td>\n535-600<\/span><\/td>\n888-1064<\/span><\/td>\n65-70<\/span><\/td>\n92-100<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Very High<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n10<\/span><\/td>\n241 or more<\/span><\/td>\n601 or more<\/span><\/td>\n1065 or more<\/span><\/td>\n71 or more<\/span><\/td>\n101 or more<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n
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