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12h ago

Seven States Under Air Quality Advisories as Chicago Enters Second Day of Alerts

Officials attribute soaring ozone levels across seven states to summer heat trapping wildfire smoke from western Canada.

FILE - The Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) is pictured in downtown Chicago, where the air quality has been categorized "unhealthy" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, on June 27, 2023. The EPA says extensive swaths of the northern United States awoke to unhealthy air quality Monday, July 17, or were experiencing it by midafternoon. Fine particle pollution caused by smoke from Canada’s wildfires is causing a red zone air quality index, meaning it is unhealthy for everyone. (AP Photo/Claire Savage, file)
Smoke filled skies from out of control wildfires in Norway House, Manitoba Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at the Norway House Airport as crews continue to fight wildfires in northern Manitoba. (David Lipnowski/The Canadian Press via AP)

Overview

  • Tuesday’s air quality advisories cover Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Colorado, with millions advised to limit outdoor exposure.
  • Chicago metro area and northwest Indiana are on a second consecutive Air Pollution Action Day after the region’s AQI hit 122 on Tuesday.
  • Indiana’s environmental agency declared Wednesday an Air Quality Action Day for northwest counties as ozone levels become unhealthy for sensitive groups.
  • Health officials advise children, seniors and people with lung or heart conditions to limit outdoor exertion, follow medical guidance and stay alert for symptoms such as shortness of breath.
  • Advisories are set to lapse late Wednesday evening, and meteorologists predict a cold front on Thursday will improve air quality.