Air quality levels in parts of the Chicago area Thursday were off the charts as they stretched to levels NBC 5 meteorologists said haven’t been seen in years.
The website used for tracking air quality, AirNow.gov, could be seen maxed out as they described Chicago-area air quality as “hazardous,” but the numbers are actually even higher than the meter appears to go.
As of 2 p.m., some of the worst levels recorded were on the North Shore, with areas like Northbrook hitting above 770. Highland Park, Lake Forest, Waukegan, all also reported levels above 600 and 700.
Chicago sat at just under 600.
According to the agency, AQI values of 301 or higher fall under the “maroon” category, which signals a “health warning of emergency conditions: everyone is more likely to be affected.”
“The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern,” AirNow.gov reported.
The levels are:
Daily AQI ColorLevels of ConcernValues of IndexDescription of Air QualityGreenGood0 to 50Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.YellowModerate51 to 100Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.OrangeUnhealthy for Sensitive Groups101 to 150Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected.RedUnhealthy151 to 200Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.PurpleVery Unhealthy201 to 300Health alert: The risk of health effects is increased for everyone.MaroonHazardous301 and higherHealth warning of emergency conditions: everyone is more likely to be affected.“I’ve been here for 15 years and I’ve never seen parts of our viewing area in that hazardous category,” NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman said. “My maps don’t even have the hazardous explanation on it, because we’ve only gotten into that ‘very unhealthy,’ purple category.”
Cities across the Great Lakes states registered air quality ranging from unhealthy to hazardous — which means it’s unhealthy for anyone, regardless of health conditions. Microscopic particles can lodge deep in the lungs and enter the bloodstream, leading to heart and lung problems and contributing to other long-term health issues.
A study published this year found that long-term exposure to tiny particles from wildfire smoke contributed to an average of 24,100 deaths a year in the lower 48 states. Long-term exposure can make existing health problems worse and lead to a range of chronic and deadly health issues, including respiratory illness, cardiovascular and neurological diseases, and premature death.
In fact, the Chicago-area levels are some of the highest in the world, according to IQ Air.
As of 3 p.m., the group reported Chicago’s air was the second-worst in the world, just behind Minneapolis. Detroit, which had been higher than Chicago through much of Thursday morning, fell to third.
The conditions come as a lingering high pressure system trapped smoke from dozens of fires in Canada and northern Minnesota, said Steven Freitag, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Pontiac, Michigan.
The smoke forced many outdoor camps and events across the Chicago area to shift indoors. Pools and beaches in both the city and suburbs were closed due to the poor air quality levels.
An air quality alert remains in effect through at least Friday night.
“As we head into the evening hours [Thursday] we may continue to watch this heavy plume continuing all the way into early Friday morning before we start to see the conditions improving by Friday evening,” Roman said.
Still, the NWS noted “there is some uncertainty in how far south the smoke progresses and the duration of the poor air quality.”
NWS meteorologist Jake Petr told the Associated Press that even if winds from the northwest clear skies as expected later this week, the smoky air could keep returning until the fires are out. That could take weeks or longer.
Here is a live look outside now:
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