SmogRank / South Africa / KwaZulu-Natal / Richards Bay

Richards Bay, month by month

Richards Bay has a measured daily mean on 86 days since 19 March 2023. Its worst month was January 2024, at 48 US AQI (8.6 µg/m³), 1,092nd of 2,385 cities on that month's world ranking.

Every month since 2023

2026too few days for a mean (a year needs 199)1 day measured
JannoneFebnoneMarnoneAprnoneMaynoneJunnoneJulnoneAugnoneSepnoneOct1 day
2025too few days for a mean (a year needs 256)0 days measured
JannoneFebnoneMarnoneAprnoneMaynoneJunnoneJulnoneAugnoneSepnoneOctnoneNovnoneDecnone
2024too few days for a mean (a year needs 257)48 days measured
Jan48#1,092Feb20 daysMar6 daysAprnoneMaynoneJunnoneJulnoneAugnoneSepnoneOctnoneNovnoneDecnone
2023too few days for a mean (a year needs 256)37 days measured
JanFebMar8 daysApr14 daysMay6 daysJun8 daysJulnoneAug1 daySepnoneOctnoneNovnoneDecnone
Each square is a month's mean PM2.5 in US AQI from Richards Bay's measured days, with its place on that month's world ranking under it. A month has a mean once 70% of its days are measured, the rule the monthly rankings use; under that, the square gives the days measured. Each square opens that month's ranking with Richards Bay marked; each year, the year's.
Good0–50
Moderate51–100
Sensitive groups101–150
Unhealthy151–200
Very unhealthy201–300
Hazardous301+

The US EPA's Air Quality Index for PM2.5 (2024 breakpoints). Show values as: µg/m³ · US AQI · India AQI · China AQI · European AQI · UK DAQI · Canada AQHI+. About the scales

Months without a mean, and why

43 months
MonthWhy
Oct 20261 of 11 days measured; a month needs 8. The others: 10 with no readings from the monitor.
Sep 2026No day measured. The others: 30 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Aug 2026No day measured. The others: 31 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Jul 2026No day measured. The others: 31 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Jun 2026No day measured. The others: 30 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
May 2026No day measured. The others: 31 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Apr 2026No day measured. The others: 30 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Mar 2026No day measured. The others: 31 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Feb 2026No day measured. The others: 28 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Jan 2026No day measured. The others: 31 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Dec 2025No day measured.
Nov 2025No day measured.
Oct 2025No day measured.
Sep 2025No day measured.
Aug 2025No day measured.
Jul 2025No day measured.
Jun 2025No day measured.
May 2025No day measured.
Apr 2025No day measured.
Mar 2025No day measured.
Feb 2025No day measured.
Jan 2025No day measured.
Dec 2024No day measured. The others: 31 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Nov 2024No day measured. The others: 30 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Oct 2024No day measured. The others: 31 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Sep 2024No day measured. The others: 30 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Aug 2024No day measured. The others: 31 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Jul 2024No day measured. The others: 31 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Jun 2024No day measured. The others: 30 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
May 2024No day measured. The others: 31 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Apr 2024No day measured. The others: 30 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Mar 20246 of 31 days measured; a month needs 22. The others: 25 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Feb 202420 of 29 days measured; a month needs 21. The others: 1 missing from OpenAQ's archive, 8 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Dec 2023No day measured. The others: 31 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Nov 2023No day measured. The others: 30 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Oct 2023No day measured. The others: 31 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Sep 2023No day measured. The others: 30 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Aug 20231 of 31 days measured; a month needs 22. The others: 30 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Jul 2023No day measured. The others: 1 missing from OpenAQ's archive, 30 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Jun 20238 of 30 days measured; a month needs 21. The others: 22 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
May 20236 of 31 days measured; a month needs 22. The others: 25 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Apr 202314 of 30 days measured; a month needs 21. The others: 3 missing from OpenAQ's archive, 13 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.
Mar 20238 of 31 days measured; a month needs 22. The others: 2 missing from OpenAQ's archive, 3 with under 18 hours of readings or readings that failed our checks.

A day counts once 18 hours of it are measured; a month needs 70% of its days.

Richards Bay's worst months

MonthUS AQIDays measuredWorld rank
January 2024 488.6 µg/m³22 of 311,092ndof 2,385

Monthly means over the days measured; finished months only. World rank: its place on that month's world ranking of every city with enough days. Each month opens that ranking.

Richards Bay's worst days

DayUS AQI
8 Jun 2023 7823.4 µg/m³
19 Mar 2023 7220.2 µg/m³
18 Jun 2023 7220.2 µg/m³
8 Apr 2023 7019.3 µg/m³
5 Jun 2023 6918.8 µg/m³
21 Apr 2023 6617.4 µg/m³
7 Jun 2023 6617.2 µg/m³
22 Mar 2023 6516.8 µg/m³
17 May 2023 6516.4 µg/m³
26 Apr 2023 6416.3 µg/m³

Daily means, the highest since 19 Mar 2023; the WHO's daily guideline is 15 µg/m³. Each date opens that day's world ranking, and each episode the bad-air spell it was part of.

Use this history

SmogRank, PM2.5 monthly and daily means, Richards Bay, South Africa, 19 Mar 2023 – 1 Oct 2026. Monitor data from SAAQIS (South Africa's Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment) via OpenAQ; sources listed at smogrank.com/sources. smogrank.com/za/richards-bay/history (accessed 12 Oct 2026).

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You're welcome to reuse a single chart, image or figure with this citation and a link. Terms. Raw monitor readings in bulk are published by OpenAQ, under each provider's licence.

Richards Bay now: the last 24 hours, its ranks today and the last 12 months day by day.

Updated 2026-10-12 20:07 UTC. Values are PM2.5 (fine particles), the median of each city's monitors, as the US AQI PM2.5 sub-index. Some low-cost readings: Sensor.Community, ODbL (data and licence). Some readings: Uzhydromet (Uzbekistan's Hydrometeorological Service); Department of Environment, Nepal; Vietnam's government monitors; Aurassure; Umhverfisstofnun (Environment Agency of Iceland); RMCAB (Secretaría Distrital de Ambiente, Bogotá); Love My Air (City and County of Denver), no reuse terms published (why we use them).