AirNow API

Name: AirNow API API
Brand: AirNow API
Availability: InStock

★ Only Publicly Available SpecData EnrichmentAddress ValidationapiKey6 EndpointsREST

For Agents

Look up real-time U.S. air quality readings, AQI forecasts, and historical observations by zip code or geographic coordinates from the EPA's AirNow network.

Quickstart

Get started with AirNow API in minutes using your preferred integration method.

# Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf)
{
  "jentic": {
    "url": "https://api.jentic.com/mcp",
    "auth": "oauth"
  }
}

# Then ask your agent:
"check current air quality by zip code"

# → Jentic returns the GET /events tool with parameter schema, agent executes.

Capabilities

What an agent can do with AirNow API API.

Fetch current AQI observations for a zip code via /aq/observation/zipCode/current

Retrieve current readings for any latitude/longitude pair within the AirNow coverage area

Pull next-day AQI forecasts for ozone and PM2.5 by location

Look up readings from a specific monitoring site by ID

GET STARTED

Start building with AirNow API API

Explore with Jentic

View OpenAPI Spec

Use for: I want to check the current air quality in a zip code, Get the AQI forecast for tomorrow in San Francisco, Retrieve historical PM2.5 readings for the last week, Find the nearest air quality monitoring station to a coordinate

Not supported: Does not handle weather forecasts, pollen counts, or international air quality outside U.S. partner networks — use for U.S. AQI and pollutant readings only.

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for AirNow API, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for AirNow API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. AirNow is the U.S. EPA's source for real-time and forecast air quality data covering Air Quality Index (AQI) observations across the United States. The API exposes current AQI readings, daily forecasts, and historical observations queryable by zip code, latitude/longitude, or monitoring site. Coverage spans pollutants including ozone, PM2.5, PM10, CO, NO2, and SO2, with data sourced from federal, state, local, and tribal monitoring networks.

Use Cases

Patterns agents use AirNow API API for, with concrete tasks.

★ Real-Time Air Quality Lookup

Surface live Air Quality Index readings for any U.S. zip code or coordinate so apps can warn users about unhealthy conditions before outdoor activity. AirNow aggregates observations from EPA, NOAA, NPS, and tribal sensors into a single AQI scale covering ozone, PM2.5, PM10, CO, NO2, and SO2. A single GET to /aq/observation/zipCode/current returns the dominant pollutant, AQI value, and category label in under a second.

Get the current AQI observation for zip code 94103 and return the dominant pollutant and AQI category

Air Quality Forecast Notifications

Alert users a day in advance when forecast AQI is expected to exceed a threshold. The /aq/forecast/zipCode and /aq/forecast/latLong endpoints return next-day predicted AQI for ozone and PM2.5 with category bands such as Moderate, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, and Unhealthy. Useful for asthma management apps, school activity planning, and wildfire smoke advisories.

Fetch the next-day AQI forecast for latitude 37.78, longitude -122.42 and trigger an alert if any pollutant exceeds AQI 100

Historical Air Quality Analysis

Pull historical AQI observations over a date range to back-test exposure models, build air quality dashboards, or correlate pollution with health outcomes. The /aq/data endpoint supports time-bounded queries by zip code or bounding box and returns hourly or daily aggregated readings. Coverage extends across all U.S. states and territories with monitoring stations.

Retrieve daily PM2.5 observations for zip code 90001 from 2026-01-01 to 2026-03-31 and compute the monthly average

Agent Air Quality Lookup via Jentic

Agents discover AirNow operations through a natural-language Jentic search and execute structured GET calls without managing the API_KEY query parameter directly. Jentic stores the AirNow API key in its credential vault so agents receive scoped tokens at runtime. Typical end-to-end search-load-execute time for a current observation lookup is under 200 ms.

Search Jentic for 'check current air quality by zip code', load the AirNow operation schema, and execute it for zip code 10001

Key Endpoints

6 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for airnow api, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

METHOD

PATH

DESCRIPTION

GET

/aq/observation/zipCode/current

Current AQI observations by zip code

GET

/aq/observation/latLong/current

Current observations by latitude/longitude

GET

/aq/observation/monitoringSite/current

Current observations from a specific monitoring site

GET

/aq/forecast/zipCode

Next-day AQI forecast by zip code

GET

/aq/forecast/latLong

Next-day AQI forecast by coordinate

GET

/aq/data

Historical AQI observations by zip code

GET

/aq/observation/zipCode/current

Current AQI observations by zip code

GET

/aq/observation/latLong/current

Current observations by latitude/longitude

GET

/aq/observation/monitoringSite/current

Current observations from a specific monitoring site

GET

/aq/forecast/zipCode

Next-day AQI forecast by zip code

GET

/aq/forecast/latLong

Next-day AQI forecast by coordinate

Why though Jentic?

Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.

Credential isolation

The AirNow API_KEY is stored encrypted in the Jentic vault. Agents receive scoped runtime tokens and the key is appended to the query string at execution time rather than entering the agent context.

Intent-based discovery

Agents search by intent (e.g., 'get current air quality by zip code') and Jentic returns the matching AirNow GET operation with its parameter schema, including zipCode, distance, and date.

Time to first call

Direct AirNow integration: 1-2 days for key registration, request signing, and schema discovery. Through Jentic: under 30 minutes — search, load schema, execute.

Related APIs

Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.

Alternative

World Air Quality Index

Global AQI coverage versus AirNow's U.S.-only scope

Choose AQICN when the user asks about air quality outside the United States or needs worldwide station data

Alternative

IQAir AirVisual

Commercial global air quality and pollution data with city-level rankings

Use IQAir for global city air quality, sensor networks, and historical pollution rankings outside U.S. coverage

Complementary

OpenWeatherMap

Pair AirNow AQI with weather, wind, and forecast data for richer environmental context

Add OpenWeatherMap when the agent needs temperature, wind direction, or precipitation alongside AQI for outdoor activity decisions

FAQs

Specific to using AirNow API API through Jentic.

Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for AirNow API?

AirNow does not publish an OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call AirNow API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.

What authentication does the AirNow API use?

AirNow uses an API key passed as the API_KEY query parameter on every request. Through Jentic, the key is stored encrypted in the credential vault and injected at execution time so agents never see the raw value. Request a free key at https://docs.airnowapi.org/.

Can I get air quality forecasts with the AirNow API?

Yes. The /aq/forecast/zipCode and /aq/forecast/latLong endpoints return next-day AQI forecasts for ozone and PM2.5 with category labels such as Moderate or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. Pass a date parameter to target a specific forecast day.

What are the rate limits for the AirNow API?

AirNow imposes a default limit of 500 requests per hour per API key. The limit is documented at docs.airnowapi.org and is enforced server-side; clients receive HTTP 429 when exceeded. For higher volume, contact AirNow support via the docs site.

How do I look up current air quality by zip code through Jentic?

Search Jentic for 'check current air quality by zip code', load the AirNow /aq/observation/zipCode/current operation, and execute with the zipCode parameter. Install with pip install jentic and use the async client pattern: search, load, execute.

Does the AirNow API cover countries outside the United States?

No. AirNow data is limited to U.S. states, territories, and selected partner sites in Canada and Mexico that report into the network. For global coverage, pair with an alternative such as OpenWeatherMap or AQICN.