Hajipur — Seasonal Pollution Patterns
Month-by-month air quality patterns for Hajipur across 5 years of CPCB data. Based on CPCB station data, 2016–present.
Bihar · Live Hajipur AQI →
At a glance
Based on 5 years of CPCB monitoring across 1 stations, Hajipur averages AQI 149 annually, with a pronounced seasonal pattern classified as monsoon-cleansed. The worst month is December at AQI 240 (Poor) and the cleanest is July at AQI 65 (Satisfactory) — a 175-point swing between them. Severe days (AQI > 400) make up 0.3% of the record while Good-or-Satisfactory days account for 36.6%.
The four seasons
Indian meteorological seasons: Winter (Dec–Feb), Summer (Mar–May), Monsoon (Jun–Sep), Post-monsoon (Oct–Nov).
Winter
AQI 214Summer
AQI 162Monsoon
AQI 79Post-monsoon
AQI 183Climograph — monthly averages and Poor+ days
Bars show the long-run AQI average per month. The overlay line counts days in Poor, Very Poor or Severe bands.
Year × month heatmap
One cell per year-month combination.
Each cell = monthly average AQI for that year-month combination. Row averages on the right, column averages at the bottom.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | — | — | 134 | 97 | 112 | 68 | 52 | 38 | 64 | 127 | 118 | 191 | 99 |
| 2021 | 150 | 211 | 221 | 204 | 128 | 117 | 78 | 74 | 66 | 127 | 252 | 222 | 156 |
| 2022 | 153 | 147 | 166 | 170 | 100 | 114 | 71 | 58 | 69 | 141 | 236 | 283 | 142 |
| 2023 | 247 | 250 | 192 | 192 | 123 | 145 | 56 | 84 | 62 | 120 | 215 | 227 | 159 |
| 2024 | 201 | 188 | 146 | 238 | 164 | 142 | 70 | 74 | 93 | 167 | 308 | 275 | 172 |
| Avg | 191 | 201 | 175 | 183 | 125 | 121 | 65 | 65 | 71 | 137 | 226 | 240 | — |
Winter in Hajipur
Winter (Dec–Jan–Feb) in Hajipur averages AQI 214 across 358 measured days — Poor on the NAQI scale. 12% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 6.4% are Good or Satisfactory. Year-on-year, winter improved by 7.7% in the most recent comparison. Winter is the defining season for Hajipur's air quality. Shallow temperature inversions trap local vehicle, industrial and biomass emissions near ground level, while regional transport patterns bring in dust and biomass smoke from upwind regions. Cool, stagnant mornings compound the problem; visibility falls, respiratory complaints spike, and short-term pollution peaks of AQI 400+ are routine. Sensitive groups — children, elderly, asthma and cardiac patients — should treat the full Dec–Jan–Feb window as a mandatory mask-and-purifier period.
Diwali, stubble burning and the monsoon
Three India-specific signatures that shape the seasonal curve.
Diwali week impact
The 7-day window around Diwali averages AQI 211 (Poor), versus 130 (Moderate) for the rest of October. 35 sampled days across the CPCB record.
Stubble-burning window (Oct 15 – Nov 15)
In-window severe-day share 1.3% vs 0.2% outside the window. The difference is a direct signal of upwind crop-residue transport.
Monsoon cleansing (Jul 15 – Sep 15)
Core monsoon window averages AQI 66 (Satisfactory), compared with an annual mean of 149.
Summer
Summer (Mar–Apr–May) in Hajipur averages AQI 162 across 419 measured days — Moderate on the NAQI scale. 1.2% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 20.5% are Good or Satisfactory. Year-on-year, summer worsened by 8.5% in the most recent comparison. Summer air in Hajipur is shaped by a very different mix of forces. Rising temperatures drive deeper vertical mixing which dilutes local emissions, but pre-monsoon dust storms, wildfires and heat-accelerated ozone formation can all push AQI higher on individual days. Hajipur's summer mean of 162 sits in the Moderate-to-Poor range, indicating that dust and gaseous precursors dominate the seasonal profile rather than the winter particulate peak common to north Indian cities.
Monsoon
Monsoon (Jun–Jul–Aug–Sep) in Hajipur averages AQI 79 across 556 measured days — Satisfactory on the NAQI scale. 0% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 77% are Good or Satisfactory. Year-on-year, monsoon worsened by 10.2% in the most recent comparison. The Jul 15 – Sep 15 core monsoon window averages AQI 66, a 55.7% improvement on the annual mean of 149. Rain scrubs particulates out by wet deposition, and the deeper monsoon boundary layer disperses what remains vertically. Short-lived rebounds can happen between spells of rain, but the overall pattern is strongly favourable for outdoor activity. For anyone with asthma or heart conditions, monsoon is the easy-breathing stretch of the year in Hajipur.
Post-monsoon
Post-monsoon (Oct–Nov) in Hajipur averages AQI 183 across 282 measured days — Moderate on the NAQI scale. 9.2% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 19.5% are Good or Satisfactory. Year-on-year, post-monsoon worsened by 41.8% in the most recent comparison. Diwali and the three days either side of it average AQI 211 — 1.63× the normal October baseline of AQI 130 for Hajipur, a spike of 81 points. Post-monsoon in Hajipur is the handoff from clean monsoon air to the winter peak, and the transition is rarely gentle.
Month-by-month trajectories
How each month has moved across the 5-year CPCB record.
First year vs latest year
Annual and per-season comparison.
Across the 5-year CPCB record Hajipur is worsening overall — AQI moved from 99 in 2020 to 173 in 2024, a +74.7% change. Months that worsened most: Jan (+34%), Apr (+145.4%), May (+46.4%), Jun (+108.8%). Months that improved most: Feb (-10.9%). Because Hajipur's seasonal shape is monsoon-cleansed, policy action that targets the December peak buys disproportionate relief — most city-wide annual averages are dragged upwards by the worst two or three months.
Daily calendar heatmap
Every measured day for the last 3 years. Expand for the full 5-year archive.
Month-by-month deep dive
Tap any month to expand.
Jan2021–2024Latest AQI 201+34%
Jan in Hajipur averages AQI 201 (Poor) in the most recent year, having moved from 150 in 2021. Direction: worsening (+34.0%).
Feb2021–2024Latest AQI 188-11%
Feb in Hajipur averages AQI 188 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 211 in 2021. Direction: improving (-10.9%).
Mar2020–2024Latest AQI 146+9%
Mar in Hajipur averages AQI 146 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 134 in 2020. Direction: stable (+9.0%).
Apr2020–2024Latest AQI 238+145%
Apr in Hajipur averages AQI 238 (Poor) in the most recent year, having moved from 97 in 2020. Direction: worsening (+145.4%).
May2020–2024Latest AQI 164+46%
May in Hajipur averages AQI 164 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 112 in 2020. Direction: worsening (+46.4%).
Jun2020–2024Latest AQI 142+109%
Jun in Hajipur averages AQI 142 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 68 in 2020. Direction: worsening (+108.8%).
Jul2020–2024Latest AQI 70+35%
Jul in Hajipur averages AQI 70 (Satisfactory) in the most recent year, having moved from 52 in 2020. Direction: worsening (+34.6%).
Aug2020–2024Latest AQI 74+95%
Aug in Hajipur averages AQI 74 (Satisfactory) in the most recent year, having moved from 38 in 2020. Direction: worsening (+94.7%).
Sep2020–2024Latest AQI 93+45%
Sep in Hajipur averages AQI 93 (Satisfactory) in the most recent year, having moved from 64 in 2020. Direction: worsening (+45.3%).
Oct2020–2024Latest AQI 167+32%
Oct in Hajipur averages AQI 167 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 127 in 2020. Direction: worsening (+31.5%).
Nov2020–2024Latest AQI 308+161%
Nov in Hajipur averages AQI 308 (Very Poor) in the most recent year, having moved from 118 in 2020. Direction: worsening (+161.0%).
Dec2020–2024Latest AQI 275+44%
Dec in Hajipur averages AQI 275 (Poor) in the most recent year, having moved from 191 in 2020. Direction: worsening (+44.0%).
Cities with similar (and opposite) seasonal profiles
Ranked by cosine similarity of 12-month AQI signatures across monitored Indian cities.
Similar seasonal profile
Cities whose 12-month AQI signature most closely matches Hajipur.
Opposite seasonal profile
Cities whose seasonal signature least resembles Hajipur.
What to do with this information
If you are choosing when to visit Hajipur or plan outdoor events — marathons, weddings, school sports, outdoor festivals — the CPCB record says July and the two adjacent months are the lowest-risk window. Daily variability still matters; check the live AQI page before committing on any specific date. Sensitive groups should treat December in Hajipur as an indoor-air-priority month: close windows on high-AQI evenings, run a purifier with a HEPA filter rated for your room size, and reserve outdoor exercise for clear-weather mornings. On days above AQI 300, even healthy adults benefit from well-fitted N95 or KN95 masks for outdoor commutes.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most polluted month in Hajipur?
December is the most polluted month in Hajipur on average, with a long-run AQI of 240 — firmly in the Poor band. This is drawn from 1 CPCB monitoring stations across 5 years of daily readings. Through December, residents should expect elevated PM2.5 and PM10, reduced visibility on cooler mornings, and strong recommendations from doctors to limit outdoor exertion, wear well-fitted N95 masks, and run indoor purifiers through evening and overnight hours when pollutant accumulation typically peaks.
What is the cleanest month to visit Hajipur?
July is the cleanest month of the year in Hajipur, averaging AQI 65 in the Satisfactory band. The months immediately before and after also tend to sit well below the annual mean of 149, so a visit window centred on July is the safest choice for outdoor sightseeing, marathons, school trips and wedding events. Mornings are usually the crispest time to head out; pollution tends to creep up slightly during the evening commute even in the cleanest months. Always cross-check the day-of live AQI before any high-exertion outdoor plan.
Why does Hajipur's air spike in December?
Hajipur shows a clear monsoon-cleansed signature — rain and deeper atmospheric mixing drop AQI to a seasonal trough, and everything else relative to that trough looks elevated. The specific December spike combines pre-monsoon dust, post-rain rebounds and the arrival of cool-season trapping effects.
How bad is Diwali air quality in Hajipur?
Across the CPCB record, the week around Diwali in Hajipur averages AQI 211 — 1.63× the normal October baseline of AQI 130, a spike of 81 AQI points. Firework particulates combine with a cooler, more stagnant late-October atmosphere to produce some of the worst air-quality days of the entire year. Sensitive groups should treat Diwali eve and the two days after as peak-alert days: stay indoors, close windows by evening, run purifiers on high, and reserve any outdoor celebrations for daytime hours when mixing is strongest.
Does the monsoon actually clean Hajipur's air?
Yes — meaningfully. Hajipur's core monsoon window (Jul 15 – Sep 15) averages AQI 66, a 55.7% improvement on the annual mean of 149. Rain removes airborne particulates by wet deposition, and the deeper monsoon boundary layer disperses what remains vertically. Across 556 measured monsoon days we see 77% in the Good-or-Satisfactory band.
Is Hajipur's worst season getting worse or better year-on-year?
Between 2020 and 2024, Hajipur's annual average AQI moved from 99 to 173 — a change of +74.7%. In the most recent year-on-year comparison, the winter season specifically improved by 7.7%. The long-run direction is worsening — rapid urbanisation and emissions growth appear to be outpacing efficiency gains.
Which months are safest to visit Hajipur?
July is the single best month at AQI 65. Based on the 12-month averages, the three cleanest months in Hajipur are July (AQI 65), August (AQI 65), September (AQI 71). These are the safest choices for outdoor itineraries, long walks, open-air concerts and day-trips. Sensitive groups can treat these months as near-normal activity windows but should still check live AQI for the specific date. Avoid planning outdoor-heavy trips in December, when the baseline jumps into Poor territory.
How does Hajipur's seasonal pattern compare to other Indian cities?
Hajipur is classified as monsoon-cleansed. Based on a 12-month cosine-similarity index computed across all monitored Indian cities, the city whose seasonal signature most closely resembles Hajipur's is Bettiah (Bihar), with its own worst month in November. Cities with similar signatures often respond to similar policy levers — if a neighbouring peer has demonstrated improvements through specific interventions (construction-dust controls, bus electrification, brick-kiln regulation), they are likely candidates for Hajipur too. The peer-city panel on this page lists the closest four additional matches.