Clarington Real-Time AQI Tracker
What's Actually In Clarington Air Today?
What High AQI Means for Your Lungs in Clarington
How to Read AQI
The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures how polluted the air is and how it may affect your health.
0–50 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory.
51–100 (Moderate): Acceptable, but some pollutants may pose minor concerns.
101–150 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups)
151–200 (Unhealthy)
201–300 (Very Unhealthy)
301+ (Hazardous)
Moderate
Still okay for most, but if you have asthma or allergies, take it easy and avoid long outdoor workouts.
Shop MERV 11 filters→What's the Right Filter for Your AQI Level?
Check Today's Live Real Time Air Quality Index AQI Map in Clarington, ON Now
The live map below shows Clarington's air quality today on Canada's Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), updated every hour. The Municipality of Clarington, which takes in Bowmanville, Courtice, Newcastle and Orono in Durham Region, has no provincial monitor of its own, so its official reading comes from the Oshawa monitoring station. Filterbuy built this page to help you act on that number at home.
TL;DR
Clarington's official air quality reading is the hourly AQHI from the Oshawa station, shown on the live map on this page. A reading of 1 to 3 means carry on as usual. At 4 to 6, people with heart or breathing conditions should ease off if they notice symptoms. At 7 to 10, they should cut back, and everyone else should ease off if symptoms appear. Above 10, everyone should limit strenuous activity outdoors, and people at risk should avoid it.
Key Takeaways
The AQHI is Canada's official air quality scale, running from 1 to 10+.
The nearest provincial monitor is in north Oshawa, 11 to 26 km west of Clarington's communities.
Wildfire smoke causes Clarington's worst air days and can push the AQHI above 10 (very high risk).
Live Clarington Air Quality Map: What Is the Air Quality in Clarington Today?
The map shows the current AQHI from the Oshawa station, the closest official reading. Readings change hour to hour, so for current conditions always go by the live map or the official Environment Canada AQHI page for Oshawa, which also carries the forecast.
How to Read Clarington's Air Quality Index (AQHI) Today
The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is Canada's official air quality index, published by Environment and Climate Change Canada and Air Quality Ontario. It rolls ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) into a single health-risk number from 1 to 10+.
*People with heart or breathing problems; follow your doctor's usual advice. Adapted from Air Quality Ontario's AQHI health messages.
Where Clarington's Reading Is Measured
When Filterbuy's team went through Air Quality Ontario's provincial monitoring network, none of its stations was in Clarington. The official reading comes from station 45027 in north Oshawa, so we measured how far that station sits from each community.
Straight-line distances calculated by Filterbuy from Air Quality Ontario's published station coordinates (43.952248, -78.91252) to each community centre, rounded to the nearest kilometre.
Because the monitor sits west of every Clarington community, Filterbuy reads it as a regional early warning rather than a street-level measurement, especially in Newcastle and Orono. Oshawa and Whitby rely on the same station; compare the live air quality map for Oshawa and Whitby's air quality page, or see the wider Ontario air quality map.
“Measuring the distance between Clarington and its monitor changed how I read the number. Courtice is about 11 km from the Oshawa station, and Newcastle is about 26 km away. I treat the AQHI as a regional early warning, and the furnace filter as the part I can control.”
Michelle Wan, Brand Manager and Air Quality Writer, Filterbuy
Clarington PM2.5 Today: Why Fine Particles Matter Most
PM2.5 is fine particulate matter, small enough to reach deep into the lungs. Because wildfire smoke is mostly PM2.5, it is usually the pollutant behind a high AQHI in Clarington. For today's PM2.5 number, open the Oshawa station's hourly readings on Air Quality Ontario.
Is the Air Quality Bad in Clarington Today? What Drives the Readings
The air quality is bad in Clarington today if the live map shows an AQHI of 7 or higher. Most days are low risk; bad days usually come from wildfire smoke, with ozone and Highway 401 traffic playing smaller roles.
Wildfire Smoke
Smoke from fires hundreds of kilometres away can drift over Durham Region and push the Oshawa AQHI above 10, which brings an orange air quality warning. Heavy smoke can also ease within a day or two (Durham Radio News), so recheck the live map often while it lingers.
Local Sources and Monitoring
The St Marys Cement plant in Bowmanville and the Durham York Energy Centre, a waste-to-energy facility in Courtice, operate under provincial approvals. The Region of Durham's two stations near the energy centre measure PM2.5, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide, with results published in quarterly and annual reports rather than as a live AQHI.
Seasons in Clarington
Why a Filter Maker Is Writing About Clarington's Air
Filterbuy makes furnace filters. We don't measure outdoor air, so every reading on this page comes from Canadian government sources. What we can add is what happens inside the house:
We see the filters. Filters sent back to us after a smoky week look nothing like the ones pulled in midwinter.
We make every rating we recommend. That lets us be direct: on an older furnace, a clean MERV 11 that air moves through easily does more good than a MERV 13 that strains the blower.
How to Protect Your Indoor Air When Clarington's AQHI Rises
When Clarington's AQHI reaches 7 or higher, focus on two things: keeping outdoor air out and cleaning the air already inside.
Close windows and doors to slow the smoke coming in.
Set your HVAC to recirculate. If you have an HRV or ERV (a unit beside the furnace with two ducts to the outside), it pulls in outdoor air, so ask a technician about turning it down during smoke.
Run the furnace fan. Switch it from "auto" to "on" so air keeps passing through the filter.
Upgrade your filter if your system can handle it. Health Canada's wildfire smoke guidance recommends MERV 13 or higher to capture more fine smoke particles, as long as the system can manage the added resistance.
Check the filter weekly while smoke lingers. In Filterbuy's experience, a smoke-loaded filter keeps letting air through long after it has stopped cleaning well, so replace it once it looks grey or smells of smoke.
Cut indoor sources. Skip candles, and use the range hood when you cook.
Get Ready Before Smoke Season
Smoke can arrive quickly, so prepare in late spring:
Note your filter size. You'll find it printed on the frame of your current filter.
Check that your system can take MERV 13. Your manual or a technician can confirm it.
Keep a spare MERV 13 on the shelf, or let a Filterbuy subscription send one on schedule.
Turn on alerts. Choose the York–Durham region for Air Quality Ontario emails, or set up AQHI notifications in the WeatherCAN app.
Pick a cleaner-air room with few windows and no fireplace.
Renting or Living in a Condo?
Ask your landlord when the filter was last changed and whether a MERV 13 will fit.
Without a forced-air system, a room-sized portable HEPA cleaner is your main tool.
Filterbuy's guide to MERV 13 vs. HEPA for wildfire smoke explains how a portable cleaner works alongside your furnace filter.
Which Filter Is Right for Your Clarington Home?
For smoke season, the pick is Filterbuy's MERV 13 Optimal. MERV 11 Superior suits allergy season and pets, and the carbon Odour Eliminator helps with lingering smells. Filterbuy makes more than 600 sizes in its own U.S. facilities and cuts custom sizes for unusual slots. Shipping anywhere in Canada is free with no minimum, and prices are in CAD. Our guide to MERV ratings explains the rest.
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Supporting Statistics
1. Asthma emergency visits ran 17% higher than expected across 19 days of Canadian wildfire smoke in the U.S.
For Clarington: at-risk readers should follow that column of the AQHI table.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MMWR
2. A high-efficiency filter, with the fan running, may cut indoor PM2.5 by about 50%.
For Clarington: switch the fan to "on" and use a MERV 13 if your system allows.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
3. 145 million Americans lived through at least one unhealthy particle pollution day, and wildfire smoke was a key factor.
For Clarington: check the AQHI each summer morning.
Source: American Lung Association, State of the Air
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Filterbuy ship air filters to Clarington?
Yes. Filterbuy ships free to Clarington and anywhere else in Canada with no minimum order, and prices are shown in CAD.
What is the Clarington AQI, and how do I read it?
Use Canada's Air Quality Health Index (AQHI). A reading of 1 to 3 is low risk, 4 to 6 moderate, 7 to 10 high and above 10 very high.
Why do different apps show different Clarington air quality readings?
Apps draw on different stations, sensors and scales. For health decisions, go by the official AQHI.
Can I get air quality alerts for Clarington?
Yes. Air Quality Ontario's free email alerts cover the York–Durham forecast region, and the WeatherCAN app can send custom AQHI notifications. According to the Region of Durham, a yellow warning is issued when the AQHI is forecast to reach 7 or higher, and an orange warning at 10+.
Glossary
Air Quality Health Index (AQHI): Canada's official 1-to-10+ health-risk scale for outdoor air, calculated from ozone, nitrogen dioxide and PM2.5.
AQI (air quality index): A common search term for air quality ratings; in Canada, the official index is the AQHI.
PM2.5: Fine particulate matter 2.5 micrometres or smaller, the main component of wildfire smoke.
MERV: Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, a 1-to-16 rating of how well a filter captures particles. Filterbuy labels its ratings Standard (8), Superior (11) and Optimal (13).
About the Author and Reviewer
Michelle Wan is Brand Manager and Air Quality Writer at Filterbuy. She works directly with Filterbuy's U.S. manufacturing teams, so her advice reflects how filters are built and how they perform in real homes. She holds a B.A. from UC Santa Cruz.
David Clark is a Licensed HVAC Technician with Filterbuy HVAC Solutions, where he reviews Filterbuy's maintenance and system-compatibility guidance for technical accuracy.
Questions? Call (855) 345-8289 or email info@filterbuy.com. Filterbuy Canada, 96 Carrier Dr, Toronto, ON M9W 5R1.