Mexico · Sonora · 6 cities
Air quality in Sonora today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Heroica Guaymas has the cleanest air of the 6 cities we track in Sonora (AQI 8, Good), and Nogales the worst (AQI 93, Moderate). Navojoa has the most tree cover, at 11.6% — #60 of 114 cities measured in Mexico.
Every city is measured the same way, over the same 2 km around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
Average right now
AQI 36
Good
- cities tracked
- 6
- average tree cover
- 6.2%
- Mexico: 14.6%
- worst air now: Nogales
- 93
- cleanest air now: Heroica Guaymas
- 8
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Sonora · average AQI 36
Air quality today across Sonora, city by city
| Hermosillo | 12Good | 3.9% | 82.0K | #103 of 114 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ciudad Obregón | 58Moderate | 6.8% | 72.9K | #85 of 114 |
| Nogales | 93Moderate | 7.3% | 71.3K | #80 of 114 |
| San Luis Río Colorado | 26Good | 1.8% | 88.6K | #113 of 114 |
| Heroica Guaymas | 8Good | 6.0% | 59.8K | #90 of 114 |
| Navojoa | 18Good | 11.6% | 57.8K | #60 of 114 |
Air quality is the US AQI from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where available, otherwise the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, refreshed hourly. Tree cover is measured within 2 km of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery; the rank compares every city measured in Mexico.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Sonora lost?
Since 2001, Sonora has lost about 14,500 hectares of forest (about 20,000 football pitches): 1.6% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (34%). About 5,700 hectares (39%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 14,500 haabout 20,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 1.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 5,700 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 596 ha | 98 ha | 694 ha |
| 2002 | 447 ha | 139 ha | 586 ha |
| 2003 | 205 ha | 84 ha | 289 ha |
| 2004 | 404 ha | 109 ha | 513 ha |
| 2005 | 643 ha | 75 ha | 718 ha |
| 2006 | 145 ha | 63 ha | 208 ha |
| 2007 | 305 ha | 89 ha | 394 ha |
| 2008 | 227 ha | 59 ha | 286 ha |
| 2009 | 345 ha | 35 ha | 380 ha |
| 2010 | 935 ha | 102 ha | 1,040 ha |
| 2011 | 123 ha | 85 ha | 208 ha |
| 2012 | 513 ha | 287 ha | 800 ha |
| 2013 | 77 ha | 222 ha | 299 ha |
| 2014 | 50 ha | 174 ha | 224 ha |
| 2015 | 22 ha | 14 ha | 36 ha |
| 2016 | 46 ha | 24 ha | 71 ha |
| 2017 | 59 ha | 614 ha | 673 ha |
| 2018 | 67 ha | 954 ha | 1,020 ha |
| 2019 | 41 ha | 35 ha | 75 ha |
| 2020 | 77 ha | 15 ha | 92 ha |
| 2021 | 118 ha | 88 ha | 206 ha |
| 2022 | 29 ha | 194 ha | 223 ha |
| 2023 | 88 ha | 452 ha | 540 ha |
| 2024 | 84 ha | 34 ha | 118 ha |
| 2025 | 51 ha | 4,750 ha | 4,800 ha |
Forest loss is speeding up: about 1,180 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 386 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2025, when about 4,800 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Sonora?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good34% · 4,980 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back25% · 3,680 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good4.8% · 697 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, logging, towns and roads, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
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. How it's measured
Other states in Mexico
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Sonora
Picked by tested clean-air delivery rate (CADR), noise and running cost, from independent test labels. No brand pays to be listed.
- The best air purifiers for wildfire smoke and smog
Air purifiers that keep up with wildfire smoke and winter smog, ranked by verified smoke CADR, with the room each one clears on a smoky day.
- The best air purifiers for bedrooms: quiet picks sized for your room
Quiet HEPA air purifiers for bedrooms, compared on what matters at night: noise on the lowest setting (from 20 dB), verified room size and filter cost.
- The best air purifiers under $200
Good HEPA air purifiers under $200 at the makers' own prices, compared on verified clean air, room size and what the filters cost each year.
Your own street