City report · Texas, United States
Brownsville Air quality today
Air quality in Brownsville currently reads AQI 57 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 57
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 12.1
- tree cover
- 32.9%
- trees in this area
- 103K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Mitte Cultural District, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Oct 17, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Brownsville · AQI 57 (Moderate)
Brownsville's tree count comes to 103,152 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.54 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Brownsville today: AQI 57, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 07:55 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Brownsville Sensor #5, 0.4 mi (600 m) away · median of 4 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
12.1
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · Clarity
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Brownsville's daily AQI at 35 on average, from 26 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 58 on Nov 3.
Where Brownsville stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Brownsville: Healthy tree cover
32.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.54 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
103,152
Target trees
103,152
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Brownsville lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Brownsville has lost about 507 acres (205 hectares) of forest (about 380 football fields): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from October 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 507 acres (205 ha)about 380 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 15%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 468 acres (189 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2003, when about 46 acres (19 hectares) of forest were lost.
Acres of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 24 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| 2002 | 31 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| 2003 | 44 acres (18 ha) | under 1 ha | 46 acres (19 ha) |
| 2004 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2005 | 18 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2006 | 39 acres (16 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| 2007 | 36 acres (15 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 39 acres (16 ha) |
| 2008 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2009 | 18 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2010 | 15 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2011 | 29 acres (12 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 33 acres (14 ha) |
| 2012 | 20 acres (8 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2013 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2014 | 16 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2015 | 2 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) |
| 2016 | 41 acres (17 ha) | under 1 ha | 41 acres (17 ha) |
| 2017 | 16 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (7 ha) |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | 16 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (6 ha) |
| 2021 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2022 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2023 | 22 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2024 | 18 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2025 | 19 acres (8 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) | 33 acres (13 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Brownsville?
- Towns and roadscleared for good62% · 316 acres (128 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good30% · 150 acres (61 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown7.7% · 39 acres (16 ha)
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 4,060 acres (1,650 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 4,440 acres (1,800 ha)
- Overall change
- +376 acres (152 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Brownsville grew from about 4,060 acres (1,650 hectares) to 4,440 acres (1,800 hectares), a net gain of about 376 acres (152 hectares) (+9.2%). New forest grew on about 702 acres (284 hectares), while 326 acres (132 hectares) were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Brownsville
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- McAllen80.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 24
- Reynosa81.1 km
Mexico
- Tree cover
- 9%
- Air quality
- 24
- Corpus Christi211.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 18
- Ciudad Benito Juárez261.3 km
Mexico
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 99
- Nuevo Laredo266.2 km
Mexico
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 47
- Laredo267.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 47
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Frequently asked
Questions about Brownsville
What is the air quality (AQI) in Brownsville right now?
The latest reading for Brownsville shows an AQI of 57 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 07:55 local time by 4 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Brownsville Sensor #5, 0.4 mi (600 m) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Brownsville today?
At AQI 57 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Brownsville been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Brownsville's daily AQI at 35 on average, from 26 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 58 on Nov 3. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Brownsville lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Brownsville has lost about 507 acres (205 hectares) of forest (about 380 football fields): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Brownsville grew from about 4,060 acres (1,650 hectares) to 4,440 acres (1,800 hectares), a net gain of about 376 acres (152 hectares) (+9.2%). New forest grew on about 702 acres (284 hectares), while 326 acres (132 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Brownsville?
Brownsville has an estimated 103,152 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.54 km²) of land measured — 32.9% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Brownsville need?
Brownsville has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Brownsville's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Mitte Cultural District, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Mitte Cultural District; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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