An Air Quality Alert has been extended through Wednesday for the Chicago area from wildfire smoke coming in from Canada.

The Air Quality Alert went into effect at noon Monday, for air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups, including babies and children and the elderly. The alert expands to all of Northwest Indiana on Tuesday. It was initially set to end at 12 a.m., but the National Weather Service extended it for another day through Wednesday at midnight.

There is also a severe weather threat Wednesday afternoon, particularly between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., when storms could cause wind damage and flooding. There is also a low risk of tornadoes. 

Smoke from wildfires in Canada started being dragged down into the Upper Midwest over the weekend, then further into the Chicago area as the week begins. Manitoba is under a state of emergency due to the wildfires, which have prompted 12,600 people to evacuate their homes. The fires in the central Canadian province have burned over 3,861 square miles.

There are also wildfires in Saskatchewan.

Another Air Pollution Action Day has been issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for Wednesday, July 16 for the greater Chicago metropolitan area, for ozone levels that will be at unhealthy levels for sensitive groups.

If you have asthma or pulmonary or respiratory diseases, you are strongly encouraged to limit prolonged outdoor activities while the alert and action day are in effect.