Smoke from Canadian wildfires moving into Chicago area, raising concerns about air quality
Smoke from out-of-control wildfires in Canada is drifting into the Chicago area on Friday, and while conditions won't be as severe as when smoke from Canadian wildfires repeatedly blanketed Chicago two years ago, the haze is nonetheless raising public health concerns.
Environmental experts said Chicagoans should pay attention to any alerts and be conscious of air quality.
Canadian officials said firefighters from across the country are helping fight 22 active wildfires in the province of Manitoba, where leaders have issued a state of emergency.
Satellite imagery from Thursday showed a massive smoke plume spanning 3,000 miles from Montana to the Atlantic.
Air quality is expected to be "unhealthy for sensitive groups" on Friday in cities spanning from Madison, Wisconsin, to Duluth, Minnesota, according to the federal site AirNow. Air quality is forecast to be "moderate" in cities including Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Detroit.
Canadian wildfire smoke led to sweeping air quality issues across the U.S. back in 2023, when hundreds of blazes were raging amid the worst wildfire season on record in Canada. Drought and record heat contributed to those fires, which in May and June that year created a record level of emissions.
Smoky Chicago skies caused major health concerns multiple times in the summer of 2023. The city made national headlines in late June for having the worst air quality in the world.
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.
But concerns remain from the smoky skies now making their way to Chicago.
"It's not that climate change causes wildfires, but it causes wildfires to be more intense," said Don Wuebbles, emeritus professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois.
The Earth's changing climate is playing a role in the severity of wildfires.
"The climate itself? Yes, it's getting worse," said Iyana Simba, city programs director at the Illinois Environmental Council, a Chicago-based environmental advocacy group. "Long-term? Think about environmental policy. Think about how important it is for us to prevent future wildfires like this from getting worse."
As for what's important now and heading into the weekend, experts said it's important to keep a close eye on air quality.
"It puts a lot of debris – ash and carbon aerosols, particularly – into the atmosphere, and when those pass over us, it causes a little bit of a cooling effect, but it also makes it more difficult to breathe," Wuebbles said.
While experts said this smoke won't be as dramatic as what Chicago saw in 2023, it can still have a public health impact.
"If you have respiratory issues, or if you are elderly, you probably shouldn't be outside for an extended period of time later today through early tomorrow," Simba said.
The smoky, hazy conditions could extend through the weekend. They'll likely stick around through Saturday.
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