Smoke from wildfires burning in Canada and Minnesota blanketed Chicago on Thursday, July 16, reducing visibility across the city and prompting an Air Pollution Action Day for northeastern Illinois. A thick plume of smoke drifted into the region, creating unhealthy to hazardous air quality conditions and obscuring the city’s skyline.
“There’s no runners. There’s no people getting on boats, no dogs, no peddlers and no tourists,” said John Reese, who works at Juicy along Lake Michigan. This was unusual for summer. Normally, “Thursdays be popping,” he said.
The haze, carried south by shifting winds, left the air smelling of smoke and elevated concentrations of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5. Health officials urged residents, especially children, older adults, pregnant people and those with heart or lung conditions, to limit time outdoors and avoid strenuous activity until air quality improves.
“It didn’t stop us,” said Jude Peterson, a busker performing downtown on Wacker Drive.
Front man Adam Blendermann, who was playing an upright bass, said only rain would do that.
According to the National Weather Service in Chicago, visibility reductions from wildfire smoke are expected to persist through the night and into mid- to late Friday morning, July 17. Improving winds should gradually clear the smoke from the region over the weekend.
Copy edited by Katie Peters
