Air quality alerts were issued for at least 16 states Wednesday, as a dark yellow-gray-orange haze covered the sky across the northeast as smoke from over 400 Canadian wildfires drifted southward and enveloped cities like New York and Philadelphia.
While the same wildfires kept the Chicago area under air quality alerts over the weekend and into Monday, the air on the East Coast was so bad that it created hazardous conditions and stopped most outdoor activity. New York Mayor Eric Adams said the air quality index there hit 484 Wednesday; 50 is normal and anything over 300 makes for hazardous conditions.
Thick smoke is forecast for Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C. Wednesday night into Thursday, and the smoke is creeping toward Northwest Indiana and Chicago, which spells trouble for anyone local with respiratory issues.
The air quality index breaks down as follows:
You can also track the air quality in your zip code at the EPA's AirNow website.
Track the Chicago area's air quality below.