Weather service issues air quality alert through Sunday night as Chicagoans deal with more hazy skies from wildfire smoke

Roommates Erin Parker and Val Babyar were looking forward to spending Sunday at Osterman Beach in Edgewater, sunbathing and barbecuing hot dogs on the new grill they got at Christmas.

But when the Edgewater residents woke up to hazy skies and an air quality alert, the duo decided to cut their time outside to an hour. They said they also cranked their Dyson air purifier up to full-blast and considered wearing a mask.

“We had planned to have a little get-together with friends and said ‘All right, we’ll just limit our time,’ but yeah, it absolutely impacted our decision here to maybe limit our exposure,” said Parker, 39.

The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert throughout the state that will be in effect through Sunday night. Smoke from Canadian wildfires created “unhealthy” conditions, forecasts from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency show. Monday’s air quality will still be unhealthy for sensitive groups, those with respiratory and pulmonary conditions, the elderly and children, the agency forecasts.

[ What is the air quality today? Search to check near you. ]

Chicago’s air quality ranked among the top 10 worst cities in the world Sunday and worst in the United States, according to the global monitoring site IQAir.

Scott Baker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville, said the weather service has issued 14 air quality alert days in Chicago this year. Many of were in June and caused by the wildfires.

Weather officials also issued air quality alerts across the northern Plains and upper Midwest.

The primary pollutant in the lingering smoke is PM2.5, tiny particles that reduce visibility and cause health problems. Factories, power plants, residential fireplaces and vehicles can also emit PM2.5.

Baker said more air quality alerts this year largely depends on whether the Canadian wildfires are controlled. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, as of Sunday, there’s about 880 fires in the country, 576 of which are classified as “out-of-control.”

“If they can put them out, it’ll probably lessen the risk of smoke pollutants,” he said.

In a statement released on Saturday, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he’s “acutely aware” that extreme weather events this summer are a result of climate change.

“We will take every effort to protect our community from these immediate threats and mitigate ongoing impacts through robust climate actions,” he said.

[ Chicago records second ‘very unhealthy’ air quality day, but predicting when smoke will clear is ‘uncharted territory’ ]

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Climate change is top of mind for some Chicagoans. Parker said even though today’s air quality didn’t make her feel “fatigued and exhausted” like last month when it was rated “very unhealthy” and worst in the world, it still drives home the damaging effects of climate change.

“I’ve been worried about flooding and beach erosion and stuff like that, but now that it’s impacting air quality at least more frequently, more consistently, it’s definitely making s--- get real,” she said.

For Babyar, 40, the poor air quality is also altering how she trains for the Chicago Marathon. When the air quality gets too bad, she said she stops running outside and instead uses an indoor treadmill that she bought during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amir Radjaei, 45 of Edgewater, also spent his day lying on a towel and snacking on kebabs at Osterman Beach. He said compared to Tehran, Iran, where he previously lived, the air quality seems much better in Chicago. He said he didn’t feel any negative effects from poor air quality in the past, so it didn’t stop him from venturing outside.

“The air pollution over there it’s not comparable to here. I mean, I experience really, really worse situations than this,” Radjaei said. “To us, this is like heaven.”

To reduce exposure to pollutants, Baker recommends using an air conditioner with a filter. For people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens, experts suggest avoiding strenuous outdoor activities and keeping any outdoor activities short.

Everyone else should shorten the amount of time they spend outside and choose less strenuous activities, such as walking instead of running, to reduce exposure, according to experts.