Recent rains helped improve Metro Cebu’s Air Quality Index to 94 at 4 p.m. on Sept. 23, 2026, placing the reading in the “Fair” category, according to the Environmental Management Bureau 7.
The ongoing haze affecting the area has been linked to smoke and fine particulate matter from fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia, which can be temporarily reduced by rainfall.
At the EMB 7 monitoring station in Barangay Cabitoonan, Toledo City, the AQI was 38 at 4 p.m. on the same day, classified as “Good.”
RECENT rains have helped improve air quality in Metro Cebu, the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7 said on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026 as the weather bureau forecast partly cloudy to cloudy skies with rain showers or thunderstorms over the area.
The improvement was reflected in Metro Cebu’s Air Quality Index (AQI), which fell to 94 at 4 p.m., placing the reading in the “Fair” category, according to EMB 7.
The 4 p.m. reading was lower than the AQI of 97 recorded at 11 a.m. and 103 at 7 a.m. The 7 a.m. reading was classified as “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups,” while the 11 a.m. reading was classified as “Fair.”
The haze affecting Metro Cebu has been linked to smoke and fine particulate matter from fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Rain can temporarily reduce the concentration of particulate matter in the atmosphere by removing some pollutants from the air. Air quality may still fluctuate, however, depending on weather conditions, wind patterns and the continuing fires in Indonesia.
The Sept. 23 forecast from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration called for partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with rain showers or thunderstorms over the Visayas. It also issued a thunderstorm advisory covering several areas of Cebu during the day.
At the EMB 7 monitoring station in Barangay Cabitoonan, Toledo City, the AQI was 38 at 4 p.m., classified as “Good.” The station recorded 39 at 11 a.m. and 42 at 7 a.m., which were also classified as “Good.”
The improvement came after several days of elevated pollution levels in Metro Cebu. The area recorded an AQI of 296 on Sept. 20, classified as “Acutely Unhealthy,” before the reading dropped to 248 later that day, 167 on Sept. 21 and 105 on Sept. 22.
Recent EMB 7 reports have also attributed fluctuations in Metro Cebu’s air quality to smoke carried by changing wind patterns from the region.
The EMB 7 continues to monitor air quality in the region and has urged the public to check its official air quality updates and advisories as conditions may change during the day. / DPC