Chicago Air Quality Alert compounded by arrival of wildfire smoke from Canada, Minnesota
An Air Quality Alert for the Chicago area is only being made worse by the arrival of drifting smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota.
The National Weather Service has placed Cook, Lake, McHenry, Kane, DuPage, Kendall, Kane and Grundy counties in Illinois and Lake, Porter, Newton and Jasper counties under an Air Quality Alert through midnight for high ozone levels.
But the poor air quality will also be exacerbated by the arrival of smoke from Canadian and Minnesotan wildfires, especially in the northern part of our area.
Officials in Michigan and Wisconsin warned residents Tuesday about air quality issues that could last for days. High levels of fine particulate matter in the air from wildfire smoke may be unhealthy for sensitive groups, such as children and people with heart or lung conditions.
By Wednesday afternoon, intense smoke will spread into the East Coast and Midwest, including parts of the New England coast, northern Pennsylvania, Detroit and Milwaukee, said Tyler Hasenstein, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
In the Chicago aera, Wednesday's primary concern remains ozone levels, with greater risks from wildfire smoke pollution on Thursday. Still, Chicago's skyline was already visible hazy Wednesday morning.
"These are particles in the smoke stream that are so small that they can get to the deepest portion of your lungs and get into your bloodstream," said Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health programs with the Respiratory Health Association of Chicago.
The combination with high temperatures and humidity could mean people in sensitive groups – including senior citizens, children, and anyone with pulmonary or respiratory illnesses like asthma – should limit their time outdoors if at all possible. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency expects the air Wednesday to reach levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Experts say these alerts and conditions are a good reminder to treat air quality like the weather. Before you make plans to go outside, check the Air Quality Index, and if you notice a new cough, shortness of breath or feel winded more easily, it may be time to head inside.
