City report · Virginia, United States
Norfolk Air quality today
Air quality in Norfolk currently reads AQI 53 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 53
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.4
- tree cover
- 19.8%
- trees in this area
- 49.3K
- more trees needed
- 25.4K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Norfolk, VA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 11, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Norfolk · AQI 53 (Moderate)
Norfolk's tree count comes to 49,265 trees across 3.8 sq mi (9.96 km²) of land, 10 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 25,379 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Norfolk today: AQI 53, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · KQ4PUG, 3.4 mi (5.4 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
10.4
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
3.9
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, AirNow, KQ4PUG
- 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 Norfolk's daily AQI at 25 on average, from 17 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 58 on Nov 10.
Where Norfolk stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Norfolk: Below target
19.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 3.8 sq mi (9.96 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
49,265
Target trees
74,644
More trees needed
25,379
CO₂ if planted / yr
558.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Norfolk lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Norfolk has lost about 792 acres (321 hectares) of forest (about 600 football fields): 7.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) 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 east of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 792 acres (321 ha)about 600 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 7.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 750 acres (304 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2005, when about 76 acres (31 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 | 49 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 50 acres (20 ha) |
| 2002 | 21 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2003 | 15 acres (6 ha) | 11 acres (4 ha) | 26 acres (11 ha) |
| 2004 | 35 acres (14 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 37 acres (15 ha) |
| 2005 | 74 acres (30 ha) | under 1 ha | 76 acres (31 ha) |
| 2006 | 62 acres (25 ha) | under 1 ha | 64 acres (26 ha) |
| 2007 | 29 acres (12 ha) | under 1 ha | 31 acres (12 ha) |
| 2008 | 41 acres (16 ha) | under 1 ha | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| 2009 | 15 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2010 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2011 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2012 | 66 acres (27 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 69 acres (28 ha) |
| 2013 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2014 | 15 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2015 | 35 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 35 acres (14 ha) |
| 2016 | 36 acres (15 ha) | under 1 ha | 37 acres (15 ha) |
| 2017 | 48 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 49 acres (20 ha) |
| 2018 | 16 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2019 | 37 acres (15 ha) | under 1 ha | 38 acres (15 ha) |
| 2020 | 21 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 21 acres (9 ha) |
| 2021 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2022 | 27 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2023 | 26 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2024 | 28 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2025 | 36 acres (14 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 40 acres (16 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Norfolk?
- Towns and roadscleared for good93% · 739 acres (299 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back1.4% · 11 acres (5 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good1.2% · 9 acres (4 ha)
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 29,900 acres (12,100 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 30,200 acres (12,200 ha)
- Overall change
- +267 acres (108 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Norfolk stayed about the same size, at about 30,200 acres (12,200 hectares): new forest grew on about 897 acres (363 hectares), and about 630 acres (255 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 Norfolk
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Newport News19.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 32
- East Hampton21.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 50%
- Air quality
- 28
- Virginia Beach27.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 16
- Richmond130.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 66
- Alexandria227.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 64
- Washington237.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 75
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Frequently asked
Questions about Norfolk
What is the air quality (AQI) in Norfolk right now?
The latest reading for Norfolk shows an AQI of 53 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 10:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is KQ4PUG, 3.4 mi (5.4 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Norfolk today?
At AQI 53 (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 Norfolk been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Norfolk'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 Norfolk lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Norfolk has lost about 792 acres (321 hectares) of forest (about 600 football fields): 7.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Norfolk stayed about the same size, at about 30,200 acres (12,200 hectares): new forest grew on about 897 acres (363 hectares), and about 630 acres (255 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Norfolk?
Norfolk has an estimated 49,265 trees across the 3.8 sq mi (9.96 km²) of land measured — 19.8% tree cover, 10 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Norfolk need?
Norfolk needs roughly 25,379 more trees to close a 10-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 558.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Norfolk's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Norfolk, 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 Norfolk; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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