When will air quality improve? Smoky skies, severe storm chances with ‘all hazards' possible
Headline from NBC Chicago, on the newest of 4 developments
Wildfire smoke from fires burning in northern Ontario was once again leading to hazy skies and unhealthy air quality in the Chicago area, with an air quality alert still in effect through Monday night. Early Monday morning, most air quality index readings in northeastern Illinois according to AirNow…
NBC Chicago's own description from its feed. We collect headlines and these descriptions, not full articles; read the original reporting below.
Developments in this update
4 dated developments, oldest first, newest marked. Each is named by one outlet's own headline; open its reports to see every outlet that covered it.
When will the wildfire smoke in Chicago go away? Air quality improvement timeline
Headline from NBC Chicago ·
Second wave of wildfire smoke expected to move into Chicago area this weekend
Headline from Fox32 Chicago ·
Chicago air quality to drop again Saturday, smoky conditions from Canadian wildfires to return
Headline from ABC 7 Chicago ·
Newest
When will air quality improve? Smoky skies, severe storm chances with ‘all hazards' possible
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 16: An aerial shows smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketing the city on July 16, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. The air quality index in the city has been rated “very unhealthy” with some nearby areas rated as “hazardous”. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The thick layer of wildfire smoke blanketing the Chicago area is expected to linger through at least the morning rush hour on Friday before hopefully being blown away by winds in the afternoon, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
Wildfire smoke is making it dangerous today for everyone in Chicagoland . Visibility is below 1 mile at times, and we encourage anyone outside to put on an N-95 mask. Highs this afternoon will be in the upper 80s and low 90s.
This wildfire smoke has been unbelievable across much of the Chicago area today. And yes, record-setting. The Air Quality Index (AQI) values we've seen today far surpass anything we have had in recent years, including June 2023 when things were (at the time) pretty impressive around here.
A thick wall of smoke from wildfires burning in Canada was still hovering over northeastern Illinois, northwest Indiana and all of Wisconsin early Friday morning, with air quality readings still in the “hazardous” category . According to air quality tracking website AirNow.
Southwest winds have pushed the wildfire smoke away from Chicago, for now. While blue skies broke through the blanket of haze covering much of northeast Illinois by Friday afternoon, the Chicago area is not completely in the clear of smoky conditions.
Current Air Quality: Yesterday's lake breeze helped keep the thickest plume of wildfire smoke at bay for much of Thursday afternoon. However, once the boundary retreated later in the day, denser smoke pushed back into the area, causing air quality levels to deteriorate significantly across much of t…
Smoke continues to be a problem for all of Chicagoland this morning. "Hazardous" conditions are in play with the air quality index in excess of 500, which is essentially off the chart. There are a few spotty showers in McHenry County as of this morning. As of 6 a.m.
After a day of hazardous air quality across the Chicago area due to wildfire smoke, another wave of pollution is expected to move in this weekend. Wildfire smoke timeline Fox Chicago Meteorologist Mike Caplan said air quality conditions should gradually improve Thursday as thicker smoke moves northe…
Thick, acrid smoke still blanketed the Chicago area Friday morning, prompting closures and cancellations in the city and the surrounding suburbs. An air quality alert currently runs through midnight Friday, though forecasters said the smoke may linger into early Saturday.
CHICAGO — The National Weather Service expects wildfire smoke to leave northern Illinois sometime Friday afternoon. Zachary Yack, meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said there’s potential for some smoke to later drift back into sections of northeastern Illinois, northern…
An air quality alert will remain in effect across much of the Chicago area through the end of the weekend as a second round of wildfire smoke is expected to roll in late Saturday. Saturday provided a brief reprieve from the back-to-back days of smoky conditions , with air quality improving to modera…
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 16: An aerial shows smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketing the city on July 16, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. The air quality index in the city has been rated “very unhealthy” with some nearby areas rated as “hazardous”. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
A second wave of smoke that started to hit the Chicago area Saturday afternoon is likely to linger through Monday evening, when potentially severe storms could hit. After an afternoon of reprieve from the heavy blanket of wildfire smoke that stretched across much of northern Illinois and Northwest I…
Although a break has arrived for many Chicago-area residents seeking a reprieve from the days of hazy wildfire smoke, the improvement will be short-lived, as a new round of smoke is expected to worsen conditions this weekend.
An Air Quality Alert remains in effect for the Chicago area through Saturday night. Smoky conditions are expected to move back into the area in the afternoon.
After days of wildfire smoke blanketing the Chicago area, air quality improved Saturday, though it remained unclear when the lingering haze would fully clear. Air quality reached the "moderate" category Saturday, but an air quality alert remained in effect through Saturday night, according …
Another round of Canadian wildfire smoke is expected to drift into Chicagoland overnight, bringing a smoky start to the day before conditions gradually improve.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 03: An aerial view shows smoke from Canadian wildfires dimming the downtown skyline on June 03, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. The smoke is causing air quality alerts in parts of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin and is visible in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virg…
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 06: An aerial view shows smoke from Canadian wildfires dimming the city’s skyline on June 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. The city has been under an air quality alert for the past two days, with vulnerable residents encouraged to limit their time outdoors.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 16: Smoke hangs over Lake Michigan on July 16, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued a Red Air Pollution Action Day for Chicagoland as AQI reached 329 and was listed as Smoke with primary pollutant PM2.5.
Smoky conditions have returned to the Chicago area after a brief reprieve yesterday. We're also tracking the next round of potential storms coming at the start of the workweek. Fox Chicago Meteorologist Mark Strehl has the forecast.
