Weeks after wildfire smoke from Canadian flames covered most of the East Coast with hazy, orange sky and dangerous air quality, Chicagoans awoke Tuesday to the world's worst air quality.
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As smoke from Canada's wildfires approaches the Midwest, Chicago's air quality is among the worst in the world. |
Thick smoke covered the skies over Chicago early Tuesday morning, reducing sight, and a slight burning odour permeated the air as residents commuted to work. According to the tracker AirNow.gov, unhealthy levels of pollution from the smoke extended throughout areas of the Great Lakes Region around Chicago, including most of Wisconsin and parts of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.
That implies that anyone in a vulnerable category, such as small children, elderly individuals, or those with heart or lung illness, should avoid any physical exercise, and everyone else should minimise their time spent outside.
Where is the air quality bad on Tuesday?
Major cities in the Midwest had air deemed unhealthy or unhealthy for sensitive groups Tuesday morning, including Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Detroit and Minneapolis.
- Three U.S. cities ranked in the top 10 cities with the worst air quality in the world Tuesday morning, according to IQAir: Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit. Other cities in the top 10 were Dubai; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Delhi, India.
- Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources issued an advisory for much of the state that's expected to last through Thursday afternoon, with air quality expected to be most severe on Tuesday and Wednesday. The sky in Milwaukee was hazy and smelled like smoke starting Monday.
- Tuesday was declared a statewide day of action by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy because of unhealthy and hazardous air quality.
- On Sunday and Monday, a smoky haze had settled over parts of northwestern Vermont and was carried out Monday afternoon by southerly winds.
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