Is a dust storm coming?
Dust days can look like a hazy afternoon, but the air tells a different story. Make a guess, then check the five-day dust forecast for your city and get ready in a minute.
Five-day dust forecast
What the four levels mean
We sort each day by its average PM10: the coarse particles that dust is made of. The lines come from the WHO daily guideline (45 µg/m³) and the US EPA air quality index bands for PM10.
Get ready in a minute
Tick what you've done. Your ticks stay on this device only.
This is general safety information, not medical advice. If you have asthma or another lung or heart condition, follow the plan your doctor gave you. In an emergency call 998 (ambulance) or 999 (police).
Why dust matters
PM10 particles are smaller than the width of a hair. They reach your airways and can trigger coughing, wheezing and asthma attacks.
A dust storm can drop visibility to a few hundred metres, or less, within minutes. That's why most dust-day accidents are on the road.
The forecast here comes from a global computer model. It can miss a sudden local storm, so always follow official warnings from the National Center of Meteorology.
Sources: World Health Organization Global Air Quality Guidelines (2021): PM10 daily guideline of 45 µg/m³. US EPA Air Quality Index breakpoints for PM10 (24-hour): Good up to 54, Moderate 55–154, Unhealthy for sensitive groups 155–254, Unhealthy 255–354, Very unhealthy 355 and above. IQAir's report on the Dubai sandstorm of 18 May 2022: city-wide average PM10 of 784.7 µg/m³. Driving advice: UAE police (Abu Dhabi Police, Dubai Police) and the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), which issues official dust and visibility warnings. Live forecast: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, using Copernicus CAMS model data. Your location is used only to ask Open-Meteo for the forecast and is not saved.