Pai Air Quality

Live air quality for Pai — the fine-particle haze that fills the valley in burning season, updated through the day.

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About these tools

Town Tools builds free, public tools for Pai and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.

Right now

Good Air quality is satisfactory and pollution poses little or no risk — no reason to change any plans.

Air quality index · US Air Quality Index (EPA)

US scale: under 50 is good, over 100 is unhealthy for sensitive groups

4.1 µg/m³

Fine particles (PM2.5)

The pollutant that matters most for health

2.5 µg/m³

Nitrogen dioxide

Mostly from traffic

59.0 µg/m³

Ozone

Forms on hot, sunny days

Day

Air quality

Tue 13 Oct

Moderate

Wed 14 Oct

Moderate

Thu 15 Oct

Moderate

Fri 16 Oct

Good

Worth knowing

Why air quality is the topic here

Pai sits in a basin on the Pai River at about 550 metres. The bowl shape traps smoke with little wind to clear it. From roughly February to April, crop and forest burning across northern Thailand fills the valley with fine-particle haze (PM2.5). During the 2026 season, readings in Pai district reached 182.7 micrograms per cubic metre, and earlier reporting recorded 232.5 — far above the Thai 24-hour standard of 37.5 and the World Health Organization guideline of 15. One local vendor described it simply: 'It feels like you're trapped in the smoke constantly.' Tourist arrivals fell by nearly 90% over two months that season.

What the numbers mean day to day

The index above is the European Air Quality Index, based on pollutants including PM2.5. Lower is cleaner. Up to about 20 is good and 20 to 40 is fair; 40 to 60 is moderate; 60 to 80 is poor; 80 to 100 is very poor; above 100 is extremely poor. For comparison, the Thai PM2.5 standard treats 37.5 micrograms per cubic metre as the daily limit, and burning-season peaks in Pai have run several times higher. When the band reads poor or worse, the haze is usually visible across the valley.

On a smoky day

When the reading is high, spend less time outdoors and keep windows and doors closed, especially in the afternoon and evening when haze often settles in the valley. A well-fitted N95 or KN95 mask filters fine particles; a cloth or surgical mask does much less. Children, older people, pregnant people, and anyone with asthma, heart, or lung conditions feel it first. If breathing is hard, seek care; serious cases in Pai are referred to Chiang Mai.

Pai Air Quality

About these tools

Right now

Next few days

Worth knowing

Why air quality is the topic here

What the numbers mean day to day

On a smoky day