maqua.app

Across Malta and Gozo

Live1 hour oldMeasured at Retrieved at

Air quality across Malta and Gozo is Fair

Driven by Ozone5 of 5 stations reportingHighest reading at Attard

Air quality is fair. Outdoor activities are fine for most people.

European Air Quality Index

Malta-wide status follows the worst reporting station.

We do not average across stations. A single poor location is not cancelled out by good ones, so the summary reports the worst station that is currently reporting.

Pollutant
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All stations

  • Attard

    AttardMaltaBackground

    Attard: Fair2.8Driven by Ozone
    Live1 hour old

    Provisional

  • Għarb

    GħarbGozoBackground

    Għarb: Fair2.8Driven by Ozone
    Live1 hour old

    Provisional

  • Msida

    MsidaMaltaTraffic

    Msida: Fair2.6Driven by PM10, coarse particulate matter
    Live1 hour old

    Provisional

  • St Paul's Bay

    San Pawl il-BaħarMaltaTraffic

    St Paul's Bay: Fair2.4Driven by Ozone
    Live1 hour old

    Provisional

  • Żejtun

    ŻejtunMaltaBackground

    Żejtun: Fair2.4Driven by PM10, coarse particulate matter
    Live1 hour old

    Provisional

Air-quality bands

Pollutant: All pollutants

  • Good
  • Fair
  • Moderate
  • Poor
  • Very poor
  • Extremely poor
  • No reading

Each band also has its own texture, so the bands can be told apart without colour.

Each air-quality band is shown with a colour, a texture, an icon and a written label, so colour is never the only cue.

Air-quality data provided by Malta's Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), disseminated via the European Environment Agency (EEA). maqua.app is an independent project and is not operated by, affiliated with, or endorsed by ERA or the EEA.

Base map © OpenStreetMap contributors Opens in a new window

What this means for you

For most people

Outdoor activity remains fine for the general population.

If you are more sensitive

A small number of unusually sensitive people may notice mild symptoms during long outdoor exertion.

  • Children
  • Older adults
  • People who are pregnant
  • People with asthma
  • People with lung conditions
  • People with heart conditions
  • People who work outdoors
  • People exercising hard outdoors

Advice here is general and precautionary. Air quality is one factor among many, and staying active remains beneficial.

If you have severe or sudden symptoms, seek medical help rather than relying on this page.

maqua.app provides general environmental information and does not replace medical advice or official emergency guidance.

What's affecting the air?(4)

Conditions across the Maltese Islands that may be influencing air quality. Context explains a reading; it never adjusts one, and it does not establish the cause of any individual measurement.

  • Saharan dust forecast

    The CAMS model forecasts mineral dust concentrations peaking near 40 µg/m³ over the Maltese Islands, with an aerosol optical depth of about 0.37. Dust transported from North Africa may contribute to elevated PM10 and, to a lesser extent, PM2.5. Dust is a natural source, but the particles it adds affect health in much the same way as other coarse particulate matter.

    May worsen air quality

    ForecastModerate confidenceMaltese Islands

    Most relevant to: PM10, PM2.5

  • Light winds and limited dispersion

    Wind speeds are forecast to fall to about 2.8 km/h for around 12 hours. Light winds may allow locally emitted pollutants — traffic nitrogen dioxide and fine particles in particular — to accumulate near the ground instead of dispersing.

    May worsen air quality

    ForecastModerate confidenceMaltese Islands

    Most relevant to: NO₂, PM2.5, PM10

  • Conditions that may favour ozone formation

    Warm, sunny and lightly ventilated conditions are forecast around the middle of the day, with temperatures near 33.9 °C. Ozone is formed in sunlight from other pollutants rather than emitted directly, so this combination is likely to raise afternoon ozone levels.

    May worsen air quality

    ForecastModerate confidenceMaltese Islands

    Most relevant to: O₃

View all(1)
  • Shallow mixing layer — possible temperature inversion

    The forecast mixing layer drops to about 35 m with warmer air above it. That pattern is the signature of a temperature inversion, which may trap pollutants close to the ground overnight and into the early morning. This is a model-based indication rather than a measured inversion.

    May worsen air quality

    ForecastLower confidenceMaltese Islands

    Most relevant to: NO₂, PM2.5, PM10

Estimated air-quality outlook

Estimated

Forecast values are model output, not measurements. Modelled estimates from the Copernicus atmosphere service, carried in the same feed.

Prepared at
Based on measurements up to
Published outlook
Wed 29 Jul, 17:00 to Fri 31 Jul, 12:00 (44 hours)

Moderate confidence

  • Looks 21 hours ahead, where the official model becomes less certain.

Highest band expected Fri 31 Jul, 12:00 Highest expected band: Moderate3.3

  • Highest band estimated for this day: Fair

    Estimated · Higher confidence · 7 forecast hours

    Driven by PM10

  • Highest band estimated for this day: Moderate

    Estimated · Moderate confidence · 24 forecast hours

    Driven by O₃

  • Highest band estimated for this day: Moderate

    Estimated · Lower confidence · 13 forecast hours

    Driven by O₃

Why the outlook looks like this

  • Saharan dust alongside a rising particulate forecast

    Mineral dust is forecast over the Maltese Islands, peaking near 40 µg/m³, at the same time as the official forecast shows coarse particulate levels rising. Dust transported from North Africa may contribute to the increase.

    May push levels upModerate confidence

    Source:Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), via Open-Meteo (Opens in a new window)

What this outlook cannot tell you

  • These are modelled values for Attard, not measurements, and may differ from what is later recorded there.
  • The model describes regional conditions. It cannot anticipate a local event such as roadworks, a fire or a fireworks display.
  • Confidence falls the further ahead the outlook reaches.
  • No forecast is published for PM2.5, PM10, NO₂ and O₃ at this station, although the station measures it.

Modelled hourly concentrations from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, published alongside the measurements in the EEA European Air Quality Index dissemination layer and classified with the same European AQI bands maqua.app applies to observations. maqua.app does not model air quality and does not adjust these values.

How the index is calculated

maqua.app provides general environmental information and does not replace medical advice or official emergency guidance.

All times are shown in Malta time. (Europe/Malta)