'Everyone should limit their time outdoors,' NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman said.
You’re watching the NBC 5 Chicago News streaming channel, which plays local Chicago news 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can find the “NBC 5 Chicago News” streaming channel on your phone or computer, and on Peacock, Samsung, Roku, Xumo or on our app, so you can watch our local news on your schedule.across the Chicago area Thursday morning, with the city skyline nearly swallowed by wildfire smoke and poor air quality reaching high levels in the northern suburbs.
WATCH HERE As of early Thursday morning, the air quality tracking website AirNow.gov showed current air quality in Chicago in the"unhealthy for all groups" red category, which ranks as level three of five. The air quality was even worse in suburbs to the north, along the North Shore and in Wisconsin, where it ranked in the highest category,"hazardous.
"The thick, reddish brown smoke from Canadian wildfires could be seen across the Chicago area. The smoke was expected to last all day, with air quality levels remaining unhealthy for all groups of people into Friday.
"Most vulnerable population to these pollutants are gonna be little kids less than five years of age because they have immature airways," Dr. Juanita Mora, allergist and immunologist with the American Lung Association said. "Lungs are still developing.
Then also the older adults that have very little reserve when it comes to volume with the heat and also with these pollutant when it comes to lung function.
"to move summer programming indoors, canceling some programs entirely. The conditions could also cancel the Chicago Fire match at Soldier Field Thursday, where"Lake County down to northern Cook," Roman said, of where the conditions were the worst.
"The far north and North Shore locations have a very unhealthy air mass at this time. Everybody should really limit their time outdoors this afternoon.
"Heat and humidity wasn't making the air quality any better, with temperatures in the 90s expected. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Thursday also issued a"red forecast air pollution action day" due to smoke and ozone levels.wearing a N95 mask if you have to be outside and keeping your indoor air cleaner by closing windows and running an air purifier or air conditioner. Friday will also see temperatures in the 90s, with some spotty storm chances. Isolated storms could also form Thursday afternoon, Roman said.
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