Air Quality Alert: Tampa, FL Reaches Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups Level
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, the CDC PLACES population-level health analysis, and the CMS Hospital Compare quality data, Areazine publishes editorial articles drawing on more than 19,000 U.S. city profiles. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
Air quality in Tampa, FL reached an AQI of 105 for ozone on March 16, 2026, placing the area in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category.
What this EPA air-quality advisory tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by EPA on March 30, 2026 and geographically references Tampa, FL. Its severity classification of "low" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken — "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to — Air Quality — determines the regulatory framework behind it, which shapes what remedies (refunds, replacements, recalls, evacuations) are available to affected individuals and who holds statutory responsibility for enforcement.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to read it as a data point about the issuing system: how quickly EPA detected the hazard, how precise the geographic or product-identifier scope is, and whether similar notices have clustered in the same category or region in the last 90 days. Cluster patterns frequently precede a broader regulatory action — a single localized EPA air-quality advisory is isolated; three of them within a quarter often indicate a supply-chain, infrastructure, or seasonal driver that will keep producing notices until something structural changes.
For decision-making, Areazine pairs each alert with the original agency URL, the full agency name, and a timestamp so you can verify the notice against the primary source before acting on it. Tags on this item (air-quality, epa, aqi, Tampa) map to related alerts in the same area of risk — browsing them together gives a clearer picture than any single notice alone, because the shape of an ongoing issue only becomes visible across multiple sequential alerts.
Current Air Quality
On March 16, 2026, the reporting area of Tampa, FL, recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 105. The primary pollutant of concern is Ozone (O3), which has reached the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" category. Other pollutants measured in the area include Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) with an AQI of 31 (Good) and Coarse Particulate Matter (PM10) with an AQI of 9 (Good).
What This Means
An AQI reading between 101 and 150 is classified by the EPA as "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups." At this level, air quality is considered acceptable for the general public; however, members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern.
Who Should Take Precautions
The groups at greatest risk from the current ozone levels include:
- People with lung disease, such as asthma.
- Children and teenagers.
- Older adults.
- People who are active outdoors, such as outdoor workers or athletes.
What You Should Do
Members of sensitive groups are advised to reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion. It is recommended to take more breaks and do less intense activities. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath. The general public is not likely to be affected at this AQI level.
Source
Data provided by EPA AirNow.
Original source: EPA Official Notice ↗
Related Air Quality
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Primary source data
EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data
Federal monitoring network — every measurement we report
AirNow (EPA / NOAA)
Real-time AQI for every monitored U.S. location
National Weather Service
Active watches, warnings, and advisories — NOAA
CDC Air Quality & Health
Health-impact reference behind every AQI category