Drummondville Real-Time AQI Tracker
What's Actually In Drummondville Air Today?
What High AQI Means for Your Lungs in Drummondville
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 Drummondville, QC Now
TL;DR
Check the live air quality map above for current conditions in Drummondville, QC. The official reading comes hourly from the environment ministry's Jacques-Desautels Stadium station, rated on Québec's Air Quality Index (IQA) as good (1 to 25), acceptable (26 to 50) or poor (51 and up). Clean air is the norm: the Centre-du-Québec region averaged 245 "good" days a year from 2017 to 2024, according to Québec's provincial statistics agency. When it reaches poor, usually from wood or wildfire smoke, vulnerable people should cut back on outdoor activity.
Key Takeaways
Drummondville's air is measured hourly at one permanent station, run by Québec's environment ministry (MELCCFP) at Jacques-Desautels Stadium.
Québec is the only province that uses the IQA, with Info-Smog forecasts, instead of Canada's AQHI.
Fine particles (PM2.5) averaging 35 µg/m³ over three hours score exactly 50 on the IQA, the top of acceptable. Anything higher rates poor.
When the IQA reaches poor or a smog warning covers the region, switch to a MERV 13 filter and start the smoke steps.
How to Read Drummondville's Air Quality in 30 Seconds
Start with the live map above for the current air quality in Drummondville. For Québec's official rating, open the Drummondville station on the MELCCFP IQA map.
1. Category and colour. Green (1 to 25) is good, yellow (26 to 50) is acceptable and red (51 and up) is poor. A grey dot means the station has no data at the moment, so check the Info-Smog forecast instead.
2. Dominant pollutant. The map lists a sub-index for each pollutant, and the highest one sets the rating. PM2.5 is smoke or smog particles, which a filter can catch. Ground-level ozone (O₃) is a summer-afternoon gas that pleated filters don't trap.
3. Timestamp. Readings refresh hourly, so check again before a long run.
Searching for a Drummondville AQI can turn up a U.S.-style 0 to 500 number. It isn't Québec's official rating, so go by the IQA category.
When the Filterbuy team mapped the monitoring network, we found one permanent government station for the whole city, so treat its reading as a baseline; streets with many wood stoves can run higher on calm winter nights. In late September 2026, we found its dot grey and a ministry notice about reporting interruptions, which is what the step 1 fallback is for.
Between May 1 and September 30, the ministry adds seasonal PM2.5 sensors to the map. For nearby conditions, see our Sherbrooke air quality map or the live air quality map for Canada.
Why Québec Uses the IQA Instead of Canada's AQHI
Every other province reports Canada's Air Quality Health Index (AQHI); Québec uses the IQA and Info-Smog instead, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. The federal Info-Smog listing publishes AQHI readings for Montréal, Québec City and Gatineau only. The nearest, Montréal, is about 93 km southwest of the city centre by our measurement.
Sources: Québec MELCCFP (IQA method) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (AQHI). The two scales are not interchangeable.
PM2.5 on Québec's Scale: Where Each Category Begins
A live PM2.5 concentration doesn't show how close the next category is, so we ran the ministry's published IQA formula on common levels.
Calculated with the MELCCFP IQA formula (sub-index = PM2.5 ÷ 35 × 50), rounded. The IQA uses a 3-hour average, so live readings may differ slightly.
What we found: Québec's daily PM2.5 standard of 30 µg/m³ sits inside the IQA's acceptable band, so a smoky day can break the provincial standard while the hourly dot never turns red. That's why we watch the PM2.5 sub-index as well as the colour. Once it climbs into the 40s, check your filter and spares, because the smoke steps start at poor.
Sources: MELCCFP IQA guidance; Québec.ca; Environment and Climate Change Canada. For questions about symptoms, call 811, Québec's health information line.
What's Actually in Drummondville's Air, Season by Season
PM2.5 and ozone drive most poor readings, each in its season.
Sources: MELCCFP, Québec air quality report 2023; Environment and Climate Change Canada.
In winter, wood heating is Québec's leading source of smog particles, and Drummondville had smog warnings in February 2023 and December 2024. MELCCFP winter data from six Québec cities shows fine particles peaking in the evening, when households relight their stoves, so Filterbuy suggests airing out in late morning.
When we compared the six Québec stations that track black carbon in the MELCCFP 2023 air quality report, Drummondville's had the lowest annual average (0.35 µg/m³), well below the 0.60 µg/m³ at a Québec City station beside a highway.
Wildfire Smoke: Drummondville's Biggest Wild Card
In 2023, 89% of Québec's daily PM2.5 standard exceedances happened in June and July, when forest fire smoke hit the province hardest. On June 25 alone, Québec stations recorded 46 exceedances of the 30 µg/m³ daily standard, according to the MELCCFP.
When the IQA Reaches Poor: Filterbuy's Smoke Steps
Check Info-Smog and public health advice first. When the station reads poor (51 and up) or a smog warning covers the region, we recommend:
1. Put a MERV 13 filter in the furnace or HVAC. This covers the whole home, and our step-by-step filter replacement guide walks through the swap.
2. Set the thermostat fan to On. Auto only filters while the system heats or cools.
3. Run a portable HEPA air cleaner in each occupied room, bedrooms first. It adds filtration where you spend the most time.
4. Close the house up. Shut windows and doors, set any HRV to recirculate, and skip candles, frying, vacuuming and the wood stove.
Before smoke season, count your return vents: the call Filterbuy's customer care team fields most often is from someone who changed one filter for years while a second never came out.
The U.S. EPA recommends MERV 13 or higher during smoke events, the rating Filterbuy Canada carries as its Optimal filter. Replace it once it looks dark brown or black, and keep spares on hand.
Smog Warnings and Forecasts for Drummondville
Info-Smog, run by Environment and Climate Change Canada and the MELCCFP, issues smog warnings for the Drummondville–Bois-Francs region. Forecasts come out at 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. EST: check at breakfast for the day, after work for tonight. During a warning, the ministry asks residents not to use a fireplace or wood stove unless it's their only heat source.
No Furnace? Cleaner Air in Drummondville's Baseboard-Heated Homes
Statistics Canada found that 66% of Québec households heated with electric baseboards in 2011, and only 14% used a furnace. Without ducts there's no filter slot, and Filterbuy would rather tell you that than sell you a filter. Instead:
Portable HEPA air cleaner: the primary defence. For smoke, look for a CADR (clean-air delivery rate) of at least two-thirds of the room's square footage, about 200 for a 300 sq ft bedroom. Avoid cleaners that produce ozone.
DIY box-fan cleaner: a MERV 13 filter on a UL- or ETL-marked box fan from 2012 or later is a stopgap that research on DIY air cleaners found effective. Filterbuy's Corsi-Rosenthal box guide shows how to build one.
Renting or Living in a Condo?
Without control of the furnace, keep windows shut when the IQA reads poor, ask whether your unit's ventilation can recirculate during smoke, and run a HEPA cleaner where you sleep. Filterbuy's customer care team can help you find your unit's filter size at (855) 345-8289.
Which Filter Drummondville's Air Quality Calls For
"I don't want anyone to feel like they need an HVAC licence just to pick the right filter."
Michelle Wan, Brand Manager and Air Quality Writer, Filterbuy
In a ducted home, match the filter to your usual IQA category. Our guide to MERV ratings explains what each rating captures.
Filterbuy Canada carries pleated filters in over 600 sizes and ships free to Canada. MERV 11 Superior filters are the everyday step up for pets and pollen, and MERV 13 fits most home systems once you confirm the size. HEPA belongs in room cleaners, never a furnace slot (MERV 13 vs. HEPA comparison). For smoke odours, see the Odour Eliminator line. A Subscribe & Save delivery schedule keeps spares coming, and you can edit, skip or cancel anytime.
Supporting Statistics
1. Closed windows alone aren't enough. A closed-up home still holds 55–60% of outdoor PM2.5 during smoke; a high-efficiency HVAC filter with the fan running nonstop cuts indoor levels by about 50%. Source: U.S. EPA
2. More filter area means more clean air. A box fan with one MERV 13 filter reached a clean-air delivery rate of 111; four filters and a cardboard shroud reached 401. Source: U.S. EPA
3. Most breathing happens indoors. Americans spend about 90% of their time inside, where some pollutants run 2 to 5 times higher than outdoors. Source: U.S. EPA
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the air quality in Drummondville today?
The live Drummondville air quality map above shows current conditions, updated hourly. For Québec's official rating, check the Drummondville station on the IQA map: 1 to 25 is good, 26 to 50 acceptable, 51 and up poor.
Is the air quality bad in Drummondville today?
Drummondville air pollution today counts as bad when the station's IQA reaches 51 (poor, red) or a smog warning is issued for the region. Vulnerable people should then reduce outdoor physical activity.
Where can I check Drummondville PM2.5 today?
Open the Drummondville station on Québec's IQA map, which lists the PM2.5 sub-index and concentration.
Does Drummondville have an AQHI reading?
No. Québec uses the IQA, and the nearest AQHI location is Montréal, about 93 km southwest.
What MERV rating do I need for wildfire smoke?
MERV 13. Filterbuy recommends switching when the IQA reads poor or a smog warning is in effect.
How often should I change my furnace filter in Drummondville?
Filterbuy built this calendar around the ministry's monitoring seasons:
Heating season: inspect monthly and replace at least every three months, per ENERGY STAR, or about every 60 days with pets or allergies.
Each fall: fit a fresh filter and keep a spare before wood-stove season.
May 1 to September 30, the ministry's wildfire monitoring window: check weekly when smoke is forecast, and replace the filter once it looks dark brown or black.
Glossary
IQA (Québec Air Quality Index): Québec's hourly index: Good (1–25), Acceptable (26–50), Poor (51+).
AQHI (Air Quality Health Index): Canada's 1 to 10+ health-risk scale, used in every province except Québec.
Sub-index: The IQA score for a single pollutant; the highest becomes the station's rating.
PM2.5: Fine particles 2.5 microns or smaller, the main pollutant in smoke.
MERV: A rating of how well an HVAC filter captures particles; higher numbers capture more.