Wildfire smoke from western Canada and the western United States could create some air quality issues in the Chicago area this week.
The fires, which are burning in the Rocky Mountains in the northwestern United States and in parts of Canada, including the country’s largest national park, are creating air quality issues across a wide swath of the Great Lakes, including over the Chicago area.
As of 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, the air quality in Chicago is in the “moderate” category. Those who are “unusually sensitive” to particle pollution should consider reducing outdoor activity levels, or reduce the amount of time they are outdoors, according to federal officials.
Those air quality conditions are expected to last through at least Friday, with particles continuing to push toward the east as the fires burn.
According to The Guardian, numerous wildfires are continuing to burn in Canada, along with Alaska and even western Russia. Those fires have blanketed parts of the Arctic in smoke, and has begun pushing through the continental United States in recent days.
Continued hot conditions in the western U.S. could provide more fuel for fires that are burning, with most of the country expected to see above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation in the next two weeks, according to the Climate Prediction Center.
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