Videos and photos captured hazy, smoky skies across the Chicago area Thursday morning, with the city skyline nearly swallowed by wildfire smoke and poor air quality reaching high levels in the northern suburbs.
“Everyone should limit their time outdoors,” NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman said.
As of early Thursday morning, the air quality tracking website AirNow.gov showed current air quality in Chicago in the “unhealthy for all groups” red category, which ranks as level three of five. The air quality was even worse in suburbs to the north, along the North Shore and in Wisconsin, where it ranked in the highest category, “hazardous.”
“This wall of smoke continues to move across our northern counties,” Roman said.
The smoke was expected to last all day, with air quality levels remaining unhealthy for all groups of people into Friday.
“The good news is, we may see it lifting by Friday afternoon, with clearing conditions by Friday night.”
“Most vulnerable population to these pollutants are gonna be little kids less than five years of age because they have immature airways,” Dr. Juanita Mora, allergist and immunologist with the American Lung Association said. “Lungs are still developing. Then also the older adults that have very little reserve when it comes to volume with the heat and also with these pollutant when it comes to lung function.”
The poor air quality moved the Chicago Park District Thursday to move summer programming indoors, canceling some programs entirely. The conditions could also cancel the Chicago Fire match at Soldier Field Thursday, where Robert Lewandowski is set to make his team debut.
“It smells like a fire,” NBC 5 photographer George Mycyk said, from downtown Chicago.
“Lake County down to northern Cook,” Roman said, of where the conditions were the worst. “The far north and North Shore locations have a very unhealthy air mass at this time. Everybody should really limit their time outdoors this afternoon.”
A view from Lincoln ParkHeat and humidity wasn’t making the air quality any better, with temperatures in the 90s expected. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Thursday also issued a “red forecast air pollution action day” due to smoke and ozone levels.
When will the smoky conditions end?
Smoke and haze was expected to linger through Friday morning, Roman said. By afternoon, it will taper. Experts suggest wearing a N95 mask if you have to be outside and keeping your indoor air cleaner by closing windows and running an air purifier or air conditioner.
Friday will also see temperatures in the 90s, with some spotty storm chances. Isolated storms could also form Thursday afternoon, Roman said.
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