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Air quality now: AQI14Good, Northampton

City report · England, United Kingdom

Northampton Air quality today

Air quality in Northampton currently reads AQI 14 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

AQI 14

Air quality right now

Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
2.5
tree cover
22.0%
trees in this area
69.0K
more trees needed
25.1K

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Northampton, UK (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 13, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.

Northampton · AQI 14 (Good)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Aug 13, 2026

Northampton's tree count comes to 69,046 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land, 8 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 25,108 more trees would close the gap.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Northampton today: AQI 14, Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 17:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · Wolverton, 13.1 mi (21.1 km) away

Health signal

Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

PM2.5

2.5

PM10

—

NO₂

—

O₃

—

SO₂

—

CO

—

Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient

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 Northampton's daily AQI at 65 on average, from 30 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 88 on Nov 7.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 65 · peak 88
Nov 4: AQI 30 (peak 54)Nov 5: AQI 40 (peak 55)Nov 6: AQI 67 (peak 76)Nov 7: AQI 80 (peak 88)Nov 8: AQI 81 (peak 88)Nov 9: AQI 81 (peak 86)Nov 10: AQI 73 (peak 75)
Nov 4Nov 10

This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from the UK's Daily Air Quality Index

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

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Northampton: Below target

22.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land.

8 points below target

Trees in this area

69,046

Target trees

94,154

More trees needed

25,108

CO₂ if planted / yr

552.4 t

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Northampton lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Northampton has lost about 148 hectares of forest (about 210 football pitches): 6.7% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (33%), after which forest can grow back. About 69 hectares (47%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.

Satellite image of the area around Northampton, June 2018

2018: satellite photo from June 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
148 haabout 210 football pitches
Share of its forest
6.7%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
69 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2001, when about 39 hectares of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Northampton, 2001–2025

Hectares of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Northampton, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.38.5

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Northampton, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
200125 ha13 ha39 ha
20022 ha1 ha3 ha
20037 ha2 ha9 ha
2004under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2005under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20068 ha16 ha23 ha
2007under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
2008under 1 ha1 ha2 ha
20093 ha2 ha4 ha
201011 ha9 ha20 ha
201111 ha11 ha22 ha
2012under 1 ha1 ha2 ha
2013under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2014under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
2015under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2016under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2017under 1 ha4 ha4 ha
2018under 1 ha4 ha4 ha
2019under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
2020under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2021under 1 ha2 ha2 ha
2022under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2023under 1 ha4 ha4 ha
20241 ha1 ha2 ha
2025under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha

What is causing deforestation around Northampton?

  • Loggingcan grow back33% · 49 ha
  • Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good30% · 44 ha
  • Towns and roadscleared for good17% · 26 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
2,070 ha
Forest in 2020
2,670 ha
Overall change
+598 hamore forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Northampton grew from about 2,070 hectares to 2,670 hectares, a net gain of about 598 hectares (+29%). New forest grew on about 634 hectares, while 37 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 Northampton

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

  • Milton Keynes

    United Kingdom

    24.7 km
    Tree cover
    40%
    Air quality
    24
  • Bedford

    United Kingdom

    31.2 km
    Tree cover
    24%
    Air quality
    26
  • Coventry

    United Kingdom

    46.1 km
    Tree cover
    27%
    Air quality
    20
  • Leicester

    United Kingdom

    46.4 km
    Tree cover
    15%
    Air quality
    28
  • Luton

    United Kingdom

    52.1 km
    Tree cover
    24%
    Air quality
    65
  • Peterborough

    United Kingdom

    56.1 km
    Tree cover
    24%
    Air quality
    24

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

Questions about Northampton

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

The latest reading for Northampton shows an AQI of 14 (Good), measured Nov 11, 17:00 local time by the Wolverton ground monitoring station, 13.1 mi (21.1 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Northampton today?

At AQI 14 (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 Northampton been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Northampton's daily AQI at 65 on average, from 30 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 88 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Is Northampton's AQI the same as the UK's Daily Air Quality Index?

No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. The UK's Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI), published by Defra, runs from 1 to 10: 1–3 low, 4–6 moderate, 7–9 high and 10 very high. It is a different scale altogether, so a US AQI figure can't be read on it directly; both, though, are built from the same main pollutants, with fine particles (PM2.5) usually the one that decides the reading.

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

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Northampton has lost about 148 hectares of forest (about 210 football pitches): 6.7% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (33%), after which forest can grow back. About 69 hectares (47%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Northampton grew from about 2,070 hectares to 2,670 hectares, a net gain of about 598 hectares (+29%). New forest grew on about 634 hectares, while 37 hectares were lost.

What is the tree count in Northampton?

Northampton has an estimated 69,046 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land measured — 22.0% tree cover, 8 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Northampton need?

Northampton needs roughly 25,108 more trees to close a 8-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 552.4 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.

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

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

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