Central Europe, April 2023
For 2 days, from 9 to 10 April 2023, 65 cities in Germany, Poland, Belgium and 5 more countries had PM2.5 at least twice their usual for the time of year. The worst reading was Jastrzębie Zdrój, Silesia, Poland: 58.1 µg/m³ on 10 April, about 3.2× its usual 18.0.
Day by day
How it spread
Every city it reached
| City | Days | Highest | Above usual |
|---|---|---|---|
| BremerhavenBremen, Germany | 1 | 41.69 April | 6.6× |
| WilhelmshavenLower Saxony, Germany | 1 | 39.89 April | 6.2× |
| ItzehoeSchleswig-Holstein, Germany | 1 | 33.99 April | 5.4× |
| CottbusBrandenburg, Germany | 1 | 41.29 April | 5.2× |
| MonsWallonia, Belgium | 1 | 33.79 April | 4.8× |
| MünsterNorth Rhine-Westphalia, Germany | 1 | 38.310 April | 4.8× |
| EnschedeOverijssel, The Netherlands | 1 | 27.39 April | 4.6× |
| OytenLower Saxony, Germany | 1 | 25.39 April | 4.3× |
| Blankenfelde-MahlowBrandenburg, Germany | 1 | 31.59 April | 4.3× |
| BremenBremen, Germany | 1 | 30.39 April | 4.2× |
| 's-GravenzandeSouth Holland, The Netherlands | 1 | 32.29 April | 4.2× |
| BraunschweigLower Saxony, Germany | 1 | 30.49 April | 4.1× |
| OsnabrückLower Saxony, Germany | 1 | 30.39 April | 4.1× |
| SeafordEngland, United Kingdom | 1 | 26.49 April | 4.1× |
| GöttingenLower Saxony, Germany | 1 | 26.79 April | 4.0× |
| MaassluisSouth Holland, The Netherlands | 1 | 27.49 April | 4.0× |
| HamburgHamburg, Germany | 1 | 36.19 April | 4.0× |
| BielefeldNorth Rhine-Westphalia, Germany | 1 | 29.29 April | 3.8× |
| KortrijkFlanders, Belgium | 1 | 32.69 April | 3.8× |
| OldenburgLower Saxony, Germany | 1 | 32.09 April | 3.8× |
| FriesoytheLower Saxony, Germany | 1 | 30.39 April | 3.8× |
| RoeselareFlanders, Belgium | 1 | 34.89 April | 3.8× |
| EvergemFlanders, Belgium | 1 | 33.09 April | 3.7× |
| Frýdek-MístekMoravian-Silesian Region, Czechia | 2 | 43.010 April | 3.6× |
| EisenhüttenstadtBrandenburg, Germany | 1 | 26.99 April | 3.6× |
| The HagueSouth Holland, The Netherlands | 1 | 26.59 April | 3.6× |
| KasselHesse, Germany | 1 | 28.49 April | 3.4× |
| CalaisHauts-de-France, France | 1 | 33.19 April | 3.4× |
| Český TěšínMoravian-Silesian Region, Czechia | 2 | 44.010 April | 3.4× |
| PotsdamBrandenburg, Germany | 1 | 25.89 April | 3.4× |
| Frankfurt (Oder)Brandenburg, Germany | 1 | 26.49 April | 3.3× |
| MaldegemFlanders, Belgium | 1 | 27.49 April | 3.3× |
| Jastrzębie ZdrójSilesia, Poland | 1 | 58.110 April | 3.2× |
| Czechowice-DziedziceSilesia, Poland | 1 | 46.810 April | 3.2× |
| HavířovMoravian-Silesian Region, Czechia | 2 | 43.510 April | 3.2× |
| GentFlanders, Belgium | 1 | 26.79 April | 3.2× |
| WittenbergSaxony-Anhalt, Germany | 1 | 26.79 April | 3.2× |
| BeverenFlanders, Belgium | 1 | 26.39 April | 3.2× |
| MenenFlanders, Belgium | 1 | 28.59 April | 3.2× |
| LilleHauts-de-France, France | 1 | 27.39 April | 3.1× |
| OstravaMoravian-Silesian Region, Czechia | 2 | 35.46 April | 3.1× |
| Halle (Saale)Saxony-Anhalt, Germany | 1 | 25.49 April | 3.0× |
| BohumínMoravian-Silesian Region, Czechia | 2 | 40.56 April | 3.0× |
| IzegemFlanders, Belgium | 1 | 29.49 April | 3.0× |
| Valašské MeziříčíZlín, Czechia | 2 | 32.96 April | 3.0× |
| TarnówLesser Poland, Poland | 1 | 34.910 April | 3.0× |
| LochristiFlanders, Belgium | 1 | 26.09 April | 2.9× |
| RacibórzSilesia, Poland | 1 | 40.610 April | 2.9× |
| Velsen-ZuidNorth Holland, The Netherlands | 1 | 25.89 April | 2.9× |
| LiberecLiberec Region, Czechia | 1 | 25.79 April | 2.8× |
| KrakówLesser Poland, Poland | 1 | 40.810 April | 2.8× |
| KrapkowiceOpole Voivodeship, Poland | 1 | 26.910 April | 2.8× |
| JasłoSubcarpathia, Poland | 1 | 25.410 April | 2.6× |
| RoubaixHauts-de-France, France | 1 | 29.69 April | 2.6× |
| TeltowBrandenburg, Germany | 1 | 26.19 April | 2.6× |
| BerlinState of Berlin, Germany | 1 | 25.59 April | 2.5× |
| DěčínÚstí nad Labem Region, Czechia | 1 | 30.77 April | 2.4× |
| Bielsko-BialaSilesia, Poland | 1 | 39.610 April | 2.4× |
| OpoleOpole Voivodeship, Poland | 1 | 26.910 April | 2.3× |
| KłodzkoLower Silesia, Poland | 1 | 30.87 April | 2.3× |
| RzeszówSubcarpathia, Poland | 1 | 27.710 April | 2.2× |
| WrocławLower Silesia, Poland | 1 | 28.710 April | 2.1× |
| ŽilinaŽilina Region, Slovakia | 1 | 26.710 April | 2.1× |
| ŁaskŁódź Voivodeship, Poland | 1 | 36.59 April | 2.1× |
| KościanGreater Poland, Poland | 1 | 28.010 April | 2.0× |
Daily means in µg/m³. Usual: the city's median for this time of year (its days within 21 days of the date, every year, leaving out the week around it). Above usual: its highest day against that.
Against other episodes in Germany and Poland
Number 3 of 12 episodes in Germany and Poland since our records began, by cities reached.
- Central Europe, February 2023604
- Eastern Europe, December 2023107
- Central Europe, April 202365
- Eastern Europe, March 202356
- Eastern Europe, September 202351
- Belgium and Germany, May 202326
- Germany, Slovakia and 2 more countries, June 202319
- Poland and Czechia, April 202315
- Poland and Czechia, January 202315
- Poland, May 202310
- Poland, September 20238
- Czechia and Germany, May 20238
Bars: cities reached; colour: the level of the episode's highest daily reading.
Use this page
SmogRank, Central Europe, April 2023: 65 cities with PM2.5 at twice their usual or more, 9 to 10 April 2023, smogrank.com/episodes/2023-04-central-europe (accessed 2 October 2026).
You're welcome to reuse a single chart, image or figure with this citation and a link. Terms.
An episode is a run of days when many cities close to each other (four or more within 350 km on a day, 8 or more in all) each had a daily PM2.5 mean of at least 25 µg/m³ and at least 2 times their usual for that time of year. Found in our own measurements, not picked by hand. How we find episodes. Values are each city's daily mean of its own monitors; causes are the usual kinds for a pattern like this, not a confirmed source.