SmogRank / Episodes / North Macedonia

South-eastern Europe, November 2023

For 3 days, from 20 to 22 November 2023, 10 cities in North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia and 2 more countries had PM2.5 at least twice their usual for the time of year. The worst reading was Sarajevo, Federation of B&H, Bosnia and Herzegovina: 129.0 µg/m³ on 20 November, about 3.3× its usual 39.5.

No cause namedWe have no fire or smoke records for these days, so we only say what the measurements show.
Cities reached10in 5 countries
Days320 to 22 November 2023
Worst day21 November8 cities counted
Furthest above usual3.4×Pristina

Day by day

21 November 8 cities at twice their usual or more
KavadarciSofiaPylaíaBotevgradCeglie MessapicaCraiovaSevlievoGabrovoHaskovoDimitrovgradRuseBucharestNišThessaloníkiKochaniTetovoBitolaSkopjeVelesIlindenSarajevoPristina
17 Nov1819202122232425
Every measured city in the area, coloured by its PM2.5 that day; a dark ring marks a city at twice its usual or more. Bars: cities counted each day, coloured by their median level. Choose a day or press play; without JavaScript, the days link to that day's world ranking.

How it spread

SarajevoSarajevo, 17 November: 31.3 µg/m³, 0.8× usualSarajevo, 18 November: 21.8 µg/m³, 0.6× usualSarajevo, 19 November: 52.1 µg/m³, 1.3× usualSarajevo, 20 November: 129.0 µg/m³, 3.3× usualSarajevo, 21 November: 125.0 µg/m³, 3.2× usualSarajevo, 22 November: 77.5 µg/m³, 2.0× usualSarajevo, 23 November: 83.1 µg/m³, 2.1× usualSarajevo, 24 November: 77.2 µg/m³, 2.0× usualSarajevo, 25 November: 22.0 µg/m³, 0.6× usualNišNiš, 17 November: 19.9 µg/m³, 0.6× usualNiš, 18 November: 9.0 µg/m³, 0.3× usualNiš, 19 November: 40.2 µg/m³, 1.3× usualNiš, 20 November: 67.9 µg/m³, 2.1× usualNiš, 21 November: 44.8 µg/m³, 1.4× usualNiš, 22 November: 17.8 µg/m³, 0.6× usualNiš, 23 November: 36.3 µg/m³, 1.1× usualNiš, 24 November: 70.9 µg/m³, 2.2× usualNiš, 25 November: 9.6 µg/m³, 0.3× usualBitolaBitola, 17 November: 19.0 µg/m³, 0.8× usualBitola, 18 November: 9.4 µg/m³, 0.4× usualBitola, 19 November: 32.1 µg/m³, 1.4× usualBitola, 20 November: 58.5 µg/m³, 2.5× usualBitola, 21 November: 59.2 µg/m³, 2.6× usualBitola, 22 November: 33.8 µg/m³, 1.5× usualBitola, 23 November: 23.6 µg/m³, 1.0× usualBitola, 24 November: 28.4 µg/m³, 1.2× usualBitola, 25 November: 14.5 µg/m³, 0.6× usualPristinaPristina, 17 November: 37.6 µg/m³, 2.0× usualPristina, 18 November: 20.0 µg/m³, 1.1× usualPristina, 19 November: 35.0 µg/m³, 1.9× usualPristina, 20 November: 51.5 µg/m³, 2.7× usualPristina, 21 November: 63.4 µg/m³, 3.4× usualPristina, 22 November: 27.2 µg/m³, 1.4× usualPristina, 23 November: 30.8 µg/m³, 1.6× usualPristina, 24 November: 34.7 µg/m³, 1.8× usualPristina, 25 November: 20.3 µg/m³, 1.1× usualKochaniKochani, 17 November: 18.4 µg/m³, 1.3× usualKochani, 18 November: 5.2 µg/m³, 0.4× usualKochani, 19 November: 13.7 µg/m³, 1.0× usualKochani, 20 November: 28.8 µg/m³, 2.0× usualKochani, 21 November: 31.9 µg/m³, 2.2× usualKochani, 22 November: 29.2 µg/m³, 2.0× usualKochani, 23 November: 12.1 µg/m³, 0.8× usualKochani, 24 November: 23.7 µg/m³, 1.6× usualKochani, 25 November: 9.9 µg/m³, 0.7× usualTetovoTetovo, 17 November: 39.8 µg/m³, 1.1× usualTetovo, 18 November: 6.3 µg/m³, 0.2× usualTetovo, 19 November: 32.5 µg/m³, 0.9× usualTetovo, 20 November: 63.8 µg/m³, 1.7× usualTetovo, 21 November: 84.8 µg/m³, 2.3× usualTetovo, 22 November: 89.1 µg/m³, 2.4× usualTetovo, 23 November: 49.2 µg/m³, 1.3× usualTetovo, 24 November: 41.4 µg/m³, 1.1× usualTetovo, 25 November: 20.9 µg/m³, 0.6× usualSkopjeSkopje, 17 November: 22.8 µg/m³, 0.8× usualSkopje, 18 November: 4.1 µg/m³, 0.1× usualSkopje, 19 November: 21.4 µg/m³, 0.8× usualSkopje, 20 November: 44.7 µg/m³, 1.6× usualSkopje, 21 November: 75.3 µg/m³, 2.7× usualSkopje, 22 November: 60.6 µg/m³, 2.2× usualSkopje, 23 November: 13.3 µg/m³, 0.5× usualSkopje, 24 November: 32.2 µg/m³, 1.2× usualSkopje, 25 November: 10.0 µg/m³, 0.4× usualVelesVeles, 17 November: 26.7 µg/m³, 1.2× usualVeles, 18 November: 5.9 µg/m³, 0.3× usualVeles, 19 November: 23.4 µg/m³, 1.0× usualVeles, 20 November: 36.8 µg/m³, 1.6× usualVeles, 21 November: 61.2 µg/m³, 2.7× usualVeles, 22 November: 33.3 µg/m³, 1.5× usualVeles, 23 November: 22.7 µg/m³, 1.0× usualVeles, 24 November: 16.2 µg/m³, 0.7× usualVeles, 25 November: 7.6 µg/m³, 0.3× usualIlindenIlinden, 17 November: 18.5 µg/m³, 0.9× usualIlinden, 18 November: no readingIlinden, 19 November: 19.4 µg/m³, 1.0× usualIlinden, 20 November: 34.6 µg/m³, 1.8× usualIlinden, 21 November: 54.6 µg/m³, 2.8× usualIlinden, 22 November: 50.7 µg/m³, 2.6× usualIlinden, 23 November: 11.1 µg/m³, 0.6× usualIlinden, 24 November: 20.0 µg/m³, 1.0× usualIlinden, 25 November: 11.5 µg/m³, 0.6× usualThessaloníkiThessaloníki, 17 November: 25.6 µg/m³, 1.3× usualThessaloníki, 18 November: 8.7 µg/m³, 0.5× usualThessaloníki, 19 November: 10.1 µg/m³, 0.5× usualThessaloníki, 20 November: 25.0 µg/m³, 1.3× usualThessaloníki, 21 November: 29.2 µg/m³, 1.5× usualThessaloníki, 22 November: 42.6 µg/m³, 2.2× usualThessaloníki, 23 November: 24.7 µg/m³, 1.3× usualThessaloníki, 24 November: 18.2 µg/m³, 1.0× usualThessaloníki, 25 November: 9.0 µg/m³, 0.5× usual17 Nov1819202122232425
Every counted city, in the order the episode reached them, 3 days before to 3 after. Each square is a day, coloured by that day's PM2.5; outlined: at twice the city's usual or more.
Good0–50
Moderate51–100
Sensitive groups101–150
Unhealthy151–200
Very unhealthy201–300
Hazardous301+

Every city it reached

CityDaysHighestUsualAbove usual
PristinaPristina, Kosovo2 63.421 November18.93.4×
SarajevoFederation of B&H, Bosnia and Herzegovina2 129.020 November39.53.3×
IlindenIlinden, North Macedonia2 54.621 November19.72.8×
VelesVeles, North Macedonia1 61.221 November22.42.7×
SkopjeGrad Skopje, North Macedonia2 75.321 November28.02.7×
BitolaBitola, North Macedonia2 59.221 November23.22.6×
TetovoTetovo, North Macedonia2 89.122 November37.12.4×
ThessaloníkiCentral Macedonia, Greece1 42.622 November19.02.2×
KochaniKochani, North Macedonia2 31.921 November14.42.2×
NišCentral Serbia, Serbia1 70.924 November32.12.2×

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.

Use this page

SmogRank, South-eastern Europe, November 2023: 10 cities with PM2.5 at twice their usual or more, 20 to 22 November 2023, smogrank.com/episodes/2023-11-south-eastern-europe (accessed 2 October 2026).

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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.