Smoke from more than 200 active Canadian wildfires is blanketing large parts of the United States, causing air quality alerts from the Midwest to the Northeast. On Thursday, Chicago recorded one of the world’s worst air quality levels, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 161, prompting health officials to advise sensitive groups to limit outdoor activity. Some areas in Michigan saw AQI readings soar above 800 earlier in the week, with visibility reduced and iconic landmarks obscured by haze.
The smoke, driven south by weather patterns, is affecting cities including New York, Boston, and Milwaukee, where air quality alerts remain in effect. Health agencies warn that even the general public should take precautions as conditions reach “unhealthy” levels, especially for those with respiratory or heart conditions, children, and older adults.
Canada’s 2025 wildfire season is off to an extreme start, with over,900 square kilometers burned and thousands of residents evacuated in provinces like Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The fires are proving difficult to control due to dry conditions and minimal precipitation, leading to persistent smoke and air quality issues across North America.
Satellite maps and air quality dashboards show the most severe smoke concentrations over the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, but the haze has reached as far as the East Coast and even crossed the Atlantic to parts of Europe While some improvement is expected as weather patterns shift, air quality is likely to remain a concern in affected regions through the weekend.
