City report · Virginia, United States
Newport News Air quality today
Air quality in Newport News currently reads AQI 32 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 32
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 5.8
- tree cover
- 16.2%
- trees in this area
- 33.1K
- more trees needed
- 28.2K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown, Newport News, VA 23607, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 1, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Newport News · AQI 32 (Good)
Newport News's tree count comes to 33,081 trees across 3.2 sq mi (8.17 km²) of land, 14 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 28,180 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Newport News today: AQI 32, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · CAPABLE1, 8.8 mi (14.2 km) away · median of 7 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
5.8
PM10
14.0
NO₂
6.0
O₃
62.8
SO₂
1.1
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, AirNow, CAPABLE-1, Paul Petzar, KQ4PUG
- 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 Newport News's daily AQI at 25 on average, from 17 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 58 on Nov 10.
Where Newport News stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Newport News: Critically low
16.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 3.2 sq mi (8.17 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
33,081
Target trees
61,261
More trees needed
28,180
CO₂ if planted / yr
620.0 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Newport News lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Newport News has lost about 826 acres (334 hectares) of forest (about 620 football fields): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (83%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 826 acres (334 ha)about 620 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 11%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 686 acres (278 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2005, when about 104 acres (42 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 | 50 acres (20 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 52 acres (21 ha) |
| 2002 | 16 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2003 | 28 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2004 | 60 acres (24 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 63 acres (25 ha) |
| 2005 | 69 acres (28 ha) | 35 acres (14 ha) | 104 acres (42 ha) |
| 2006 | 58 acres (24 ha) | under 1 ha | 58 acres (24 ha) |
| 2007 | 39 acres (16 ha) | under 1 ha | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| 2008 | 48 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 49 acres (20 ha) |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2010 | 21 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2011 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2012 | 32 acres (13 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 36 acres (14 ha) |
| 2013 | 7 acres (3 ha) | 65 acres (26 ha) | 72 acres (29 ha) |
| 2014 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2015 | 23 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2016 | 14 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2017 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2018 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2019 | 19 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 19 acres (8 ha) |
| 2020 | 47 acres (19 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 51 acres (21 ha) |
| 2021 | 42 acres (17 ha) | under 1 ha | 43 acres (18 ha) |
| 2022 | 26 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2023 | 11 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (5 ha) |
| 2024 | 18 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2025 | 26 acres (11 ha) | 12 acres (5 ha) | 38 acres (15 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Newport News?
- Towns and roadscleared for good83% · 682 acres (276 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back13% · 106 acres (43 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown3.4% · 28 acres (11 ha)
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, mining and energy.
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
- 12,100 acres (4,880 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 12,100 acres (4,880 ha)
- Overall change
- +7 acres (3 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Newport News stayed about the same size, at about 12,100 acres (4,880 hectares): new forest grew on about 494 acres (200 hectares), and about 487 acres (197 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 Newport News
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Norfolk19.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 53
- Virginia Beach42.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 16
- Richmond111.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 66
- Alexandria210.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 64
- Washington219.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 75
- Raleigh239.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 41%
- Air quality
- 47
Build your own
Compare Newport News with anywhere
This place
Newport News
Use this data
Put Newport News's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Newport News
What is the air quality (AQI) in Newport News right now?
The latest reading for Newport News shows an AQI of 32 (Good), measured Nov 11, 10:00 local time by 7 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is CAPABLE1, 8.8 mi (14.2 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Newport News today?
At AQI 32 (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 Newport News been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Newport News's daily AQI at 25 on average, from 17 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 58 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Newport News lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Newport News has lost about 826 acres (334 hectares) of forest (about 620 football fields): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (83%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Newport News stayed about the same size, at about 12,100 acres (4,880 hectares): new forest grew on about 494 acres (200 hectares), and about 487 acres (197 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Newport News?
Newport News has an estimated 33,081 trees across the 3.2 sq mi (8.17 km²) of land measured — 16.2% tree cover, 14 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Newport News need?
Newport News needs roughly 28,180 more trees to close a 14-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 620.0 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Newport News's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Downtown, 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 Downtown; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address