Canadian wildfires continue to wreak havoc on northern Illinois’ air quality

You wouldn’t know it by looking outside, but it really is sunny.

However, smoke from Canadian wildfires has once again blanketed the Chicago area, blotting out the sun here – as well as much of the upper Midwest – with a dense haze.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued an air quality alert for the Chicago and Rockford regions through Wednesday evening citing “unhealthy” conditions for Tuesday and continued dangers on Wednesday for those with “sensitive respiratory systems.” People in the affected areas are urged to limit their time outdoors.

Visibility is down to 1 to 3 miles for much of the area, meteorologists at the National Weather Service’s Romeoville bureau said.

An “air quality action day” has also been declared in parts of northwest Indiana and much of Michigan, according to weather service reports.

The smell of the fires also was more noticeable Tuesday as the air stagnated from low wind speeds, meteorologists said.

AirNow.gov, which monitors and tracks air quality throughout the country, lists the Chicago area in the “Unhealthy” category. Parts of Northwest Indiana and large patches of Michigan are listed as “Very Unhealthy,” the fourth-worst condition on the system’s five-level scale.

None of the area has reached the “Hazardous” air quality level, which is the worst.

A storm system is expected to move into the area later this week, which is expected to push the haze out of the area and ultimately bring warmer temperatures, according to weather service forecasts.

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20230627/canadian-wildfires-continue-to-wreak-havoc-on-our-air-quality