Air Quality Alerts For Parts Of Illinois, Indiana

ILLINOIS — Areas across the United States are suffering from poor air quality due to Canadian wildfire smoke, and while the Northeast is still the hardest hit, some counties in Illinois near St. Louis and near the Indiana border are also experiencing air quality issues.

Air quality in New York City has reached unhealthy levels, and the smoke will blanket the city for several more days. Here in the Chicago area, there are no air quality alerts, although air quality alerts have been issued for the St. Louis area, including counties in Illinois, and in Indiana near the Illinois border.

According to AirNow.Gov, which monitors air quality across the country, the air quality was at 99 in Joliet on Thursday morning, which is a "moderate" on the air quality index scale.

In Orland Park and areas near the lake, including Skokie and Chicago, the air quality was in the 120s and rated "unhealthy for sensitive groups," along with towns near the Indiana border like Lansing, Illinois. In those places, residents were advised to keep outdoor activities light and short, and to go indoors if they experience any respiratory symptoms. "Sensitive groups" include those with heart and lung diseases, older adults, children, pregnant people and those who spend a lot of time outdoors.

Comparatively, in New York City, the score was 188, which is "unhealthy."

According to the National Weather Service, poor air quality is expected through Thursday night in Indiana. The weather service advised limiting prolonged outdoor activity, especially if you have a chronic respiratory illness.

NWS St. Louis also issued an air quality alert until 8 p.m. Thursday for Madison, Monroe and St. Clair counties in eastern Missouri and west central Illinois. The air quality forecast "means that fine particular concentrations are expected to reach levels that pose a health risk."