Chicago Air Quality Alert extended as wildfire smoke arrives
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.
Watch CBS News
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.
An Air Quality Alert of Chicago was already in place but wildfire smoke from Canada and Michigan will make it even harder to breathe, especially on Thursday.
Experts say the wildfire smoke contains tiny fine particles that have been linked to asthma and heart attacks, strokes, and other serious health problems.
If you woke up in the Chicago area Wednesday to find your car covered in dust after the rain last night, there's a reason for that.
Hundreds of thousands of music fans packed Grant Park Thursday for the first day of Lollapalooza 2025 as Chicago air quality plummeted to unhealthy levels. Sabrina Franza reports.
The hazy skies in the Chicago area are the visible sign of the poor air quality on Thursday as smoke from Canadian wildfires sent Chicago to the top of the list of most polluted cities in the world.
An Air Quality Alert has been extended through Wednesday night for the Chicago area from wildfire smoke coming in from Canada.
Rain chances return starting Tuesday afternoon, but only a 20 percent chance is expected.
Wildfires are still raging in Canada, where there have been dozens of active fires, and over 33,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes.
As wildfires continue to rage in western Canada, the Environmental Protection Agency issued its first alert of the year for the Chicago area.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency does not expect this weekend's smoke infiltration to be as dangerous as June 2023, and there are no plans for an Air Pollution Action Day as was issued then.
As anyone who was around two years ago will remember, this is not the first time a hazy, unhealthy back of air engulfed and choked Chicago.
Leaders in the Canadian Province of Manitoba have issued a state of emergency as wildfires continue to rage there, forcing thousands of people to evacuate. As Lauren Victory reports, the smoke from those wildfires is headed Chicago's way.
Air quality is expected at times to dip into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" category Tuesday.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said air quality is expected to be moderate, but readings may show higher categories at certain times.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said air quality is expected to be moderate, but readings may show higher categories at certain times.
It's the middle of the winter, but there are still 149 wildfires burning across Canada, including 2 deemed out of control.
Smoke from wildfires is not the only reason for poor air quality this year. It turns out, those wildfires created another kind of pollution: Ozone.
Over 27 million acres of land have burned across Canada since the start of the 2023, marking the country's worst wildfire season on record.
As more people across the country are seeing the impact of wildfires and smoke, scientists are turning to the promise of big data, technology and collaboration to keep big fires from spreading.
The return of the smoke will make for hazy conditions that may linger into Monday as well.
Schools, camps, and businesses all took precautions.
Schools, camps, and businesses all took precautions. Meanwhile, at least one Chicago hospital says they expect to see more cases of respiratory-related issues if the smoke sticks around. CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reports.
It's not just an eyesore. The smoke is made up of tiny particles.
People were still venturing out – regardless of the unhealthy conditions.
A new era for public transportation in the Chicago region stared on Tuesday, as the Regional Transportation Authority – which oversaw the CTA, Metra, and Pace – was replaced by the Northern Illinois Transit Authority.
Two years before dozens of decomposing bodies were found inside the South Chicago Chapel funeral home, police in nearby Evergreen Park found two bodies in the owners' minivan outside their home.
A family member said they spoke with him the night before he went missing, but didn't pick up on anything strange before he went missing.
Has nickel corner Kyler Gordon played his last snap with the Chicago Bears? Even general manager Ryan Poles doesn't know, as the veteran's injury saga continues.
City leaders discuss safety plans for the upcoming Labor Day weekend after last weekend saw three people killed and 39 others injured in shootings.
CBP informed Gregory Bovino in an email on March 2 that the agency was "conducting an official Inquiry into allegations of misconduct reported to CBP." He initiated retirement 16 days later.
The head of Chicago's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection is stepping down.
Zoe Ma, the latest candidate to throw her hat into the Chicago mayoral race, officially launched her campaign on Tuesday.
While Mayor Brandon Johnson has yet to announce whether he's running for re-election in 2027, his political organization is inviting supporters to a "special announcement" next month.
The Supreme Court divided 5-4 in allowing construction of the new White House ballroom to continue.
Cook County homeowners are again facing a sharper increase in property taxes this year than businesses, the Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas announced Monday.
Contracted linemen from out of state sat idle in a Griffith church parking lot for hours without work orders from NIPSCO, as residents in Northwest Indiana approach two weeks without power.
A law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against NIPSCO, alleging the utility's failure to manage trees and vegetation has left thousands of Northwest Indiana residents without power for up to two weeks.
Dozens of cases of E. coli and salmonella in multiple states are linked to an alfalfa grower in Minnesota, health officials say.
A new Illinois law signed by Gov. Pritzker offers up to $1,000 to eligible homeowners hit by storm damage, but the money won't be available until next year — and the program only covers certain areas of Chicago.
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Tuesday announced two human cases and one death from the West Nile virus in the city this year, and one of those two people has died.
The Jackson Chance Foundation supports the lives of families with babies in the NICU by removing the financial burden of finding parking near hospitals.
Patients taking the first-of-a-kind pill, called daraxonrasib, lived for a median of 13.2 months compared with 6.7 months for chemotherapy recipients, studies showed.
Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, used performed a complex operation to preserve mobility for a 3-year-old boy who had to have part of his leg amputated after suffering a horrific accident with a lawnmower.
Possible measles exposures have been reported at a high school in Maple Park, Illinois, and a pediatric clinic in South Elgin, Kane County health officials said.
A new Whole Foods Market is coming to Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.
More than 100 Black-owned businesses were showcased at Soldier Field Sunday for Black on the Block.
A Wisconsin prosecutor says he will not file election bribery charges against billionaire Elon Musk even though the state's bipartisan elections commission said he likely broke state law.
An expert blames Illinois lawmakers and "internecine political problems" for the failure to seal a deal for a new stadium within the state for the Chicago Bears.
Real estate investment and development firm Concord Capital has acquired nine apartment buildings on Elaine Place, a single-block residential street in Chicago's East Lakeview community.
The Met's decision to highlight the work by designer John Galliano sparked widespread controversy due to his history of antisemitic and racist comments.
The Edgewater Music Festival was under way this weekend on Chicago's north lakefront.
People around the world, including Chicago, continued to gather Wednesday to pay tribute to the late Dolly Parton.
Tim Curry was known for his iconic performances in cult classics like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and the original screen adaptation of Stephen King's "It."
Audience members at a stage performance of "9 to 5: The Musical" in the U.K. were heard gasping aloud at the news of Dolly Parton's death Tuesday.
A new era for public transportation in the Chicago region stared on Tuesday, as the Regional Transportation Authority – which oversaw the CTA, Metra, and Pace – was replaced by the Northern Illinois Transit Authority.
Marcin Bachleda Blaszczak, 29, of Lockport, was last seen at the Sugarlands Visitor Center, near Gatlinburg in eastern Tennessee, on August 22. Park officials said he was confirmed safe in North Carolina, outside of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Newly uncovered video shows that, two years before dozens of decomposing bodies were found inside the South Chicago Chapel funeral home, police in nearby Evergreen Park found two bodies in the owners' minivan outside their home. The follow-up investigation raised a red flag that apparently was ignored.
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and French astronaut Sophie Adenot suited up for a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk. Meir rode the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to the worksites. Adenot remained tethered to the station.
The four stations will give runners the option of filling up their personal hydration gear, cutting down on the plastic waste from single-use cups.
Burglars struck at least eight different businesses in the Southport Corridor in Chicago's Lakeview community overnight Monday into Tuesday.
The City of West Chicago, Illinois, said is conducting a full review of its Flock camera system after a police officer was accused of misusing the system.
Two years before dozens of decomposing bodies were found inside the South Chicago Chapel funeral home, police in nearby Evergreen Park found two bodies in the owners' minivan outside their home.
A new era for public transportation in the Chicago region stared on Tuesday, as the Regional Transportation Authority – which oversaw the CTA, Metra, and Pace – was replaced by the Northern Illinois Transit Authority.
A family member said they spoke with him the night before he went missing, but didn't pick up on anything strange before he went missing.
Two years before dozens of decomposing bodies were found inside the South Chicago Chapel funeral home, police in nearby Evergreen Park found two bodies in the owners' minivan outside their home.
Hundreds of people are suing the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, where they say they were sexually abused by staff. For the first time, survivors detailed their experience exclusively to CBS News Chicago.
Why has the family that runs South Chicago Chapel, where 56 decomposing bodies were found this month, never faced criminal charges, despite a history of mishandling human remains?
Red flags about a family behind two funeral homes and crematories shut down by the state for mishandling bodies were missed in part because two different agencies regulate the death industry in Illinois.
Police in west suburban Oak Brook used a new tool aimed at limiting high-speed chases to catch a fleeing van while responding to a burglary call overnight.
Has nickel corner Kyler Gordon played his last snap with the Chicago Bears? Even general manager Ryan Poles doesn't know, as the veteran's injury saga continues.
The NFL's thin line between success and failure figures to challenge the Chicago Bears in their bid to repeat as NFC North champions.
The longtime Dallas Cowboys quarterback and CBS Sports football analyst said he came to rely on alcohol to get off pain medications after multiple back surgeries.
The Houston Astros to a 6-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night in a series opener between American League division leaders.
Jacob, a lifelong Chicago White Sox fan, sat in the front row at a recent game with his dad and sister, but Jacob was there to connect and possibly drum up some business with his favorite player, Jake Burger, who now plays for the Texas Rangers.
A man has been sentenced to 19 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to robbing two downtown Chicago banks in less than a week in 2023.
A woman has been sentenced to eight years in prison for driving drunk and causing a crash that left a man and woman dead near Sugar Grove, Illinois, back in 2023.
A man was arrested and charged this week with stabbing another man in a fight in Chicago's Fuller Park neighborhood.
Burglars struck at least eight different businesses in the Southport Corridor in Chicago's Lakeview community overnight Monday into Tuesday.
Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, was charged with murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in Shakur's death.