CHICAGO — Smoke from wildfires in Canada has left parts of the United States with air quality at risk.
A small amount of haze is expected in Chicago and parts of Illinois on Friday, but most of the heavy smoke is expected to persist east and south into North Carolina.
Due to the smoke, air quality action days have been declared for all of Indiana on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
According to the Indiana Department of Environmental Protection, fine particulate matter is in the forecast for Friday.
IDEM said particles include microscopic dust, soot and liquid that can lodge in the lungs and be difficult to breathe out.
National Weather Service said people with chronic respiratory diseases should limit their stay in the fresh air.
An air quality alert has been issued in 24 states.
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The sun rises over the lower Manhattan skyline as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey, Thursday, June 8, 2023. Intense wildfires in Canada are blanketing the northeastern United States in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish-gray and prompting warnings for the vulnerable population to stay inside. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) -
Haze covers the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial at sunrise on Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Arlington, Virginia. Smoke from forest fires in Canada is pouring into the East Coast and the Midwest of the United States and covering the capitals of both countries with an unhealthy haze. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) -
Fog covers the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023, as seen from Arlington, Virginia. Smoke from wildfires in Canada is pouring into the East Coast and Midwest of the United States, covering the capitals of both countries with an unhealthy haze. . (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) -
The sun rises behind the Washington Monument and a thick layer of smoke, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Washington. Raging Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern US in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid and the sky a yellowish-grey, and forcing vulnerable populations to stay indoors. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) -
Joggers run along the Reflecting Pool as the sun rises over the Washington Monument and smoke billows, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Washington. Raging Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern US in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid and the sky a yellowish-grey, and forcing vulnerable populations to stay indoors. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) -
Members of the Marine Corps rehearse an honor guard outside the Reflecting Pool as the sun rises above a thick layer of smoke, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Washington. Raging Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern US in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid and the sky a yellowish-grey, and forcing vulnerable populations to stay indoors. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) -
The sun is obscured by haze caused by wildfires in the north during horse bathing ahead of the Belmont Stakes Thursday, June 8, 2023, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Training was canceled for the day due to poor air quality. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) -
Smoke from wildfires in Canada obscures a view of the U.S. Capitol building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) -
With the Washington Monument and a thick layer of smoke in the background, a Marine Corps color guard rehearsal is held Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Washington. Raging Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern US in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid and the sky a yellowish-grey, and forcing vulnerable populations to stay indoors. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) -
With the Washington Monument and a thick layer of smoke in the background, a Marine Corps color guard rehearsal is held Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Washington. Raging Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern US in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid and the sky a yellowish-grey, and forcing vulnerable populations to stay indoors. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) -
A man wearing a protective mask walks past the smog-shrouded Philadelphia skyline Thursday, June 8, 2023. Intense wildfires in Canada are blanketing the northeastern U.S. in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish-gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) -
The Brooklyn Bridge, One World Trade Center and lower Manhattan are seen in New York on Thursday, June 8, 2023. The weather is expected to remain largely unchanged, with a blanket of smoke rising over the United States and Canada from wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia should continue into Thursday and possibly into the weekend. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) -
MTA employee Shanita Hankle, left, hands out masks to passengers at the entrance to a subway station in New York, Thursday, June 8, 2023. Air pollution from wildfires in Canada has blanketed the northeastern United States for a second day. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) -
The Pennsylvania State Capitol, seen from across the Susquehanna River, is shrouded in haze from the raging Canadian wildfires that have ripped through the northeastern U.S., prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay indoors, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (AP Photo/ Mark Levy)
Earlier this week, people in New York City and parts of the Northeast were urged to stay indoors due to unsafe conditions.
Millions of residents could see this on Thursday. The conditions sent asthma sufferers to the hospital, delayed flights, delayed games and even delayed the White House’s Pride Month celebration. Fires sent up columns of fine solid particles as far away as North Carolina and northern Europe, and parked clumps of air rated unhealthy or worse over the densely populated East Coast.
This week, air quality in places including New York City, the nation’s most populous city, nearly reached the top of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s rating the scale of air pollution. Local authorities urged people to stay indoors as much as possible and wear face masks when they go out.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://wgntv.com/news/illinois/is-the-canadian-wildfire-smoke-expected-in-chicago/
