Smoke from ongoing Canadian wildfires has pushed air quality in Chicago and Detroit to some of the worst levels in the world this week, triggering health alerts and prompting residents to check air quality maps and indices before heading outdoors.
As of Friday morning, Chicago’s Air Quality Index (AQI) measured at 116, categorized as “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” This is an improvement from Thursday’s AQI of 160, which placed the city in the “unhealthy for all” range, but haze and elevated pollution levels persist The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has extended an Air Pollution Action Day alert, urging people—especially those with respiratory conditions, children, and older adults—to limit outdoor activities and watch for symptoms like coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
The smoke, originating from more than 100 active wildfires in central Canada, has blanketed the Midwest. By Friday, the worst air quality readings shifted eastward, with Ann Arbor, Michigan, recording the nation’s highest AQI levels as the smoke plume moved out of Illinois and into Michigan Detroit and surrounding areas are also under air quality alerts, with conditions expected to remain poor into the weekend.
Officials recommend checking real-time air quality maps and forecasts before spending time outside. While some improvement is expected as the smoke drifts east, sensitive groups are advised to take precautions until air quality returns to safe levels.
