Chicago, Minneapolis smothered with worst air quality in world as Canadian wildfire smoke returns

Several wildfires burning across the northwestern Canadian provinces are again sending vast amounts of smoke into the upper Midwest and northeastern US, swamping the area with unhealthy air quality – some of the worst in the world, according to some metrics.

Northerly winds began pushing smoke south into Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan on Thursday. 

Air Quality Alerts are in effect for Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois and northern Indiana, covering more than 100 million Americans in major cities such as Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit. 

Photos from Minneapolis early Thursday morning showed a thick haze blanketing the region.

Air quality indices in Wisconsin have pushed into the “very unhealthy” range and are now some of the unhealthiest in the nation as of late Thursday morning, according to IQAir.

On Thursday morning, six of the top 10 worst air quality readings in America were all in Wisconsin.

And as of 11:30 a.m. CT, Chicago and Minneapolis had two of three of the worst air quality indices in the world among major cities, according to IQAir.

Purple or very unhealthy air quality means that anyone could experience difficulties when being outside for any period of time. 

The FOX Forecast Center said by Friday, the smoke will push further even south into Illinois, Missouri and will also impact the interior Northeast. 

In addition to reducing air quality, the smoke may decrease visibility in some areas. 

Air quality in Minnesota and Wisconsin is expected to improve by Saturday. 

The fires burning in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba have been ongoing all summer, and it’s not the first time the smoke has pushed south into the US this summer. 

Just last week, smoke from the wildfires impacted air quality in the Northeast, where air quality alerts were posted in New York City and Boston.