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City report · California, United States

Murrieta Air quality today

Air quality in Murrieta currently reads AQI 23 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Air quality right now

AQI 23

Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
4.2
tree cover
13.5%
trees in this area
42.4K
more trees needed
51.8K

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Murrieta, CA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 14, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.

Murrieta · AQI 23 (Good)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Sep 14, 2026

Murrieta's tree count comes to 42,412 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 16 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 51,836 more trees would close the gap.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Murrieta today: AQI 23, Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 06:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · Temecula (Lake Skinn, 8.4 mi (13.5 km) away · median of 2 stations

Health signal

Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

PM2.5

4.2

PM10

14.0

NO₂

—

O₃

38.3

SO₂

—

CO

—

Data: OpenAQ · AirNow

Outdoor exercise
A good day to be active outside
Windows
Open them to air the house
Mask
Not needed
Air purifier
Not needed

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Murrieta's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 26 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 82 on Nov 4.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 37 · peak 82
Nov 4: AQI 58 (peak 82)Nov 5: AQI 35 (peak 62)Nov 6: AQI 26 (peak 54)Nov 7: AQI 32 (peak 55)Nov 8: AQI 35 (peak 58)Nov 9: AQI 31 (peak 56)Nov 10: AQI 45 (peak 55)
Nov 4Nov 10

Where Murrieta stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Murrieta: Critically low

13.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).

16 points below target

Trees in this area

42,412

Target trees

94,248

More trees needed

51,836

CO₂ if planted / yr

1,140 t

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Murrieta lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Murrieta has lost about 1,990 acres (806 hectares) of forest (about 1,500 football fields): 50% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.

Satellite image of the area around Murrieta, June 2017

2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
1,990 acres (806 ha)about 1,500 football fields
Share of its forest
50%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
1,720 acres (695 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2007, when about 368 acres (149 hectares) of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Murrieta, 2001–2025

Acres of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Murrieta, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.368

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Murrieta, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
200140 acres (16 ha)3 acres (1 ha)43 acres (17 ha)
200247 acres (19 ha)under 1 ha48 acres (19 ha)
200365 acres (26 ha)4 acres (2 ha)68 acres (28 ha)
2004106 acres (43 ha)15 acres (6 ha)121 acres (49 ha)
200551 acres (21 ha)under 1 ha53 acres (22 ha)
200665 acres (26 ha)3 acres (1 ha)68 acres (27 ha)
2007358 acres (145 ha)10 acres (4 ha)368 acres (149 ha)
200873 acres (29 ha)under 1 ha73 acres (30 ha)
2009105 acres (42 ha)under 1 ha107 acres (43 ha)
2010213 acres (86 ha)46 acres (19 ha)259 acres (105 ha)
201189 acres (36 ha)under 1 ha89 acres (36 ha)
201257 acres (23 ha)47 acres (19 ha)104 acres (42 ha)
201315 acres (6 ha)under 1 ha15 acres (6 ha)
201430 acres (12 ha)under 1 ha30 acres (12 ha)
201540 acres (16 ha)under 1 ha42 acres (17 ha)
2016120 acres (49 ha)under 1 ha120 acres (49 ha)
201794 acres (38 ha)under 1 ha94 acres (38 ha)
201816 acres (7 ha)under 1 ha16 acres (7 ha)
201922 acres (9 ha)138 acres (56 ha)160 acres (65 ha)
202022 acres (9 ha)under 1 ha24 acres (10 ha)
202112 acres (5 ha)under 1 ha12 acres (5 ha)
202226 acres (11 ha)under 1 ha27 acres (11 ha)
20236 acres (3 ha)under 1 ha6 acres (3 ha)
202432 acres (13 ha)under 1 ha32 acres (13 ha)
202512 acres (5 ha)under 1 ha12 acres (5 ha)

What is causing deforestation around Murrieta?

  • Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good76% · 1,520 acres (616 ha)
  • Wildfirescan grow back14% · 272 acres (110 ha)
  • Towns and roadscleared for good9.7% · 193 acres (78 ha)

Also: unknown 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
17,100 acres (6,920 ha)
Forest in 2020
16,200 acres (6,570 ha)
Overall change
−855 acres (346 ha)less forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Murrieta shrank from about 17,100 acres (6,920 hectares) to 16,200 acres (6,570 hectares), a net loss of about 855 acres (346 hectares) (−5%). New forest grew on about 768 acres (311 hectares), but 1,620 acres (657 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 Murrieta

Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.

  • Vista

    United States

    39.4 km
    Tree cover
    14%
    Air quality
    39
  • Oceanside

    United States

    42.7 km
    Tree cover
    10%
    Air quality
    51
  • Moreno Valley

    United States

    42.7 km
    Tree cover
    6%
    Air quality
    25
  • Riverside

    United States

    47.5 km
    Tree cover
    22%
    Air quality
    38
  • Corona

    United States

    48.4 km
    Tree cover
    9%
    Air quality
    59
  • Escondido

    United States

    49.8 km
    Tree cover
    9%
    Air quality
    20

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Murrieta air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
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Frequently asked

Questions about Murrieta

What is the air quality (AQI) in Murrieta right now?

The latest reading for Murrieta shows an AQI of 23 (Good), measured Nov 11, 06:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Temecula (Lake Skinn, 8.4 mi (13.5 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Murrieta today?

At AQI 23 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.

What has the air quality in Murrieta been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Murrieta's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 26 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 82 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

How much forest has the area around Murrieta lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Murrieta has lost about 1,990 acres (806 hectares) of forest (about 1,500 football fields): 50% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Murrieta shrank from about 17,100 acres (6,920 hectares) to 16,200 acres (6,570 hectares), a net loss of about 855 acres (346 hectares) (−5%). New forest grew on about 768 acres (311 hectares), but 1,620 acres (657 hectares) were lost.

What is the tree count in Murrieta?

Murrieta has an estimated 42,412 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 13.5% tree cover, 16 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Murrieta need?

Murrieta needs roughly 51,836 more trees to close a 16-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,140 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.

How are Murrieta's air quality and tree cover measured?

Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Murrieta, 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 Murrieta; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

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