Air Quality in Burlington, Vermont — Live

Live readings from PurpleAir sensors across Burlington — with free alerts the moment smoke moves in.

Live Burlington AQI from nearby PurpleAir sensors loads when this page opens in a browser, along with a live sensor map covering Burlington and South Burlington, Winooski, Essex Junction, Shelburne.

Most of the year, Burlington's air is genuinely clean — the Burlington-South Burlington metro area regularly ranks among the cleanest in the country for ozone pollution, and the median AQI sits comfortably in the Good range. The exception arrived in the summer of 2023, when smoke from Quebec's wildfires drifted south over Lake Champlain and gave Vermont its worst air quality on record.

Canairy watches the sensors around your home, your kids' school, and everywhere else you care about, and tells you in plain English when the air changes enough to matter.

A lake and two mountain ranges shape the air here

Burlington sits on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, in a valley pinched between the Adirondacks in New York to the west and the Green Mountains to the east. That combination — a big lake moderating temperatures and steep ridgelines on both sides — usually works in the city's favor, and it is a big part of why the Burlington-South Burlington-Barre metro area continues to rank among the nation's cleanest for ozone in the American Lung Association's State of the Air report.

Chittenden County's median AQI has hovered in the low 40s for years, squarely inside the Good band. Most days here do not need a second thought. But the same valley geography that keeps things calm also means that when smoke does arrive from somewhere else, the lake basin can hold onto it rather than sweep it through quickly.

The summer of 2023 changed what "bad air day" means in Burlington

In early June 2023, smoke from wildfires burning in Quebec turned the sun red and hazed over the sky across northern Vermont, prompting the state's first air quality alert of the season. That turned out to be the mild version. Later that month, on June 25 and 26, a second and much heavier plume settled over Burlington overnight, pushing PM2.5 to 174 micrograms per cubic meter — an AQI of 224, Very Unhealthy by EPA standards, and the worst air quality ever recorded in Vermont.

Montreal, the source of much of that smoke, had the worst air quality of any major city in the world that same day. Vermont's Agency of Natural Resources and Department of Health urged residents to stay indoors, run air conditioning on recirculate instead of opening windows, and reach for an N95 or P100 mask — a cloth mask, they noted, does not filter wildfire smoke.

What to actually do when smoke shows up

The lesson from 2023 is that Burlington can go from a clear, lake-breeze afternoon to hazardous air within a matter of hours once a plume tracks in from Quebec or Ontario, so it is worth checking your number before you commit to a run along the waterfront or a kid's outdoor practice. Close the windows early once smoke is forecast — a house fills with fine particles fast and clears slowly.

If anyone in your home is a kid, is pregnant, is over 65, or lives with asthma or heart disease, it is worth knowing your AQI before the sky looks smoky, since the smallest particles do their damage long before you can smell campfire in the air. Canairy tracks the sensors near the places you've saved so you get that number without having to go dig for it yourself.

Burlington air quality FAQ

What is the air quality in Burlington right now?

This page shows the current AQI for Burlington, calculated from PurpleAir sensors across the city and updated continuously. The map below shows every live sensor, so you can check the reading closest to your own neighborhood.

Why did Burlington's air quality get so bad in June 2023?

Smoke from wildfires burning in Quebec and Ontario drifted south over Lake Champlain in two waves. The first, in early June, brought haze and a reddish sun. The second, on June 25-26, was far worse: PM2.5 hit 174 micrograms per cubic meter, an AQI of 224, the worst air quality ever recorded in Vermont.

Does Burlington usually have good air quality?

Yes. The Burlington-South Burlington-Barre metro area regularly ranks among the nation's cleanest for ozone pollution, and Chittenden County's median AQI sits in the low 40s, well within the Good range. Smoke events like the one in June 2023 are the exception, not the rule, but they can arrive with little warning when fires are burning hundreds of miles north.

What AQI level is unhealthy?

Under the US EPA scale, AQI 0-50 is Good and 51-100 is Moderate. From 101 the air is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups - kids, older adults, and people with asthma or heart conditions - and above 150 it's Unhealthy for everyone. Canairy translates these numbers into a plain-English verdict, like whether to close the windows or move a workout indoors.

Where does Canairy's Burlington data come from?

Readings come from PurpleAir's network of laser particle sensors across Burlington and surrounding towns, cross-referenced with government monitors and the Google Air Quality API. You can see every sensor behind your numbers on the live map - there's no black box.

Is Canairy free?

Yes. The Canairy app is free to download and includes live air quality for all your saved places, plain-English verdicts, and free push alerts when the air crosses your threshold. A paid plan adds extras like SMS text alerts.

Get Canairy free on Google Play.