Skopje - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
Terrible during the winter but good otherwise unless in the summer there are wildfires. There is pollen in the spring. It's a bit depressing since you can't get out in the winter and are stuck indoors all the time due to the air. Our remedy was to go for hikes in the mountains nearby or an hour and half away for skiing. - Jun 2023
This is the one huge negative- the pollution is HORRIBLE in the winter. They cancel flights frequently because the visibility is so bad, you need purifiers in your house, you literally can't see very far in front of you..... but that's only in the winter months so plan your R&R accordingly and go to Greece a lot and you'll make it. - Aug 2019
The pollution in the winter is AWFUL. I did not give this enough credence when I was researching. The air is toxic. My baby was hospitalized twice. We often cannot see the mountain right in front of us. YOU CANNOT BE OUTSIDE. It's frequently worse than Shanghai. - Jan 2019
The air pollution in Skopje is TERRIBLE. It is regularly on par with Beijing and Delhi. From at least late October to late March, you don't want to spend any more time outside than absolutely necessary. Skopje is situated in a topographical bowl, and there is no natural gas for heating. Almost everyone relies on burning wood (amd plastic and other miscellaneous items) for heat during the cold months. The PM 2.5 levels during these months are regularly above 200 and on occasion can get over 500. The air is literally toxic and you cannot see from one side of the city to the other. Even in the summer, the PM 2.5 measurements rarely get into the "healthy" range (below 50). - Sep 2016
Skopje is VERY polluted. Not just a little polluted but in winter there are plenty of days it is on par with Beijing. You can taste it, you will get sick from it, it seeps in your house. Skopje is located in a bowl and many of your neighbors will burn wood or other things to stay warm in winter. The schools are located in the bottom of the bowl and there are many days the kids do not go outside to play in the winter time. - May 2016
Unhealthy -- Skopje is in a bowl, surrounded by mountains, with no wind. The air is gray. On a clear day you can see how beautiful it really is and it is sad that the views are blocked by the pollution. - May 2014
The air quality definitely declines during the winter, but for three seasons out of four, it is perfect. - Oct 2013
Good. - Sep 2013
Good for most of the year. But the surrounding mountains create an inversion in the winter, trapping the pollution from cars, industry, and wood-burning stoves. Last winter, there were days were the pollution reached 300 ppm. - Jun 2013
Skopje air is dusty in the summer, a bit smoky in the winter. After Bangkok and Jakarta- not a worry. - Mar 2012
